District Attorney warns against scams after the Thomas Fire

Those affected by the Thomas fire are being warned to watch out for scams that might cost them a big financial loss if they are involved in a fraudulent business.

District Attorney Joyce Dudley says her office is ready to investigate any person or business committing a crime related to the fire ranging from reconstruction efforts to price gouging.

“People ‘s homes have been violated and they feel violated. and they feel vulnerable, ” said Dudley.

After the Tea and Jesusita fires, a prominent case of fraud was investigated and prosecuted involving Penny Estes. The D.A. says contracting work was promised but not delivered and customers were cheated out of their money. This occurred between 2009 and 2012. Estes went to prison with a sentence of nearly 12 years for her conviction on 28 felony counts.

“To attack the most vulnerable in our community in this kind of way, to be this kind of predator is unimaginable yet they are out there. They are calling our most vulnerable community members,” said Dudley.

The D.A. says as people are trying to recover, they are looking for help and hope people will be sensitive to their losses. In some cases, however, those offering services are doing the exact opposite.

“These people are predators. When there is a disaster, (they) come to this community and try to sell, like a carnival salesman would try to sell, something that isn’t real, overpriced and would make people feel even worse than before the disaster occurred,” said Dudley.

She is warning against fake phone solicitors too. “If you are getting a cold call like that I would be extremely skeptical. I would say thank you for the information and ask where do you exist on the web and look them up or call the better business bureau.” This is also a time when help for victims is mentioned in phony scams for charities.

“Fraudulent charitable solicitation if someone calls you up from a fraudulent charity and seeks funds. If the funds are over $950. it is a felony,” said Dudley.

Recently the county had a Resource and Recovery Fair. The District Attorney’s office was there to talk about fire-related services along with other agencies including those involved in public works, insurance, and business.

To contact the District Attorney go to https://www.countyofsb.org/da.

Assemblymember Das Williams has compiled a guide for help in a variety of areas and released them to the public.

Preventing Flooding and Mudslides

Here is a link to the County’s Homeowners Guide for Flood Prevention and Response. In it, you will find all the information you need to protect your home from flood damage. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offers Post-Fire Disaster Assistance. If your property includes a hillside or any land that was burned in the fire, call or email Margy Lindquist, our NRCS District Conservationist, and she will send someone out to your property to assess it and tell you what you need to do to prevent flooding and mudslides. Margy’s number is 805-434-0396 x 3174 and her email is margy.lindquist@ca.usda.gov To check if you live in a flood zone, use FEMA’s Flood Zone Look-Up. Type in your address and it will tell you your proximity to a flood zone. You can pick up free sandbags at the County Flood Control Shop, located at 4568 County Rd. There are other locations throughout the County, which you can find here and I am working to get remote distribution sites set up in the areas most likely to be affected by flooding. Stay tuned for more details on that.

What to do if you lost your home or other building in the fire

If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to deal with your insurance company, the California Department of Insurance has a helpful Residential Property Claims Guide. The very first thing you need to do if you lost a structure in the fire is call Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services at 805-681-4900. Hazardous Materials Specialists will come out and inspect your property and hazardous materials will be removed at no cost to you. The Board of Supervisors took action last week to declare a local health emergency due to the presence of toxic materials and hazardous substances in fire debris. This action allows us to get reimbursed for any and all cleanup of hazardous materials in fire debris. More information can be found here. While you’re having hazardous materials removed from your site, you need to apply for a demolition permit so you can tear down what remains of the structure and move forward with the rebuilding process. If you lost a structure to the fire, you should have received a packet from our County Planning Department with all the information you need to go through that process. If you did not, please call my office at 805-568-2186. You can access your original house plans at the American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara Chapter’s Architectural Archives, located at 415 Camino Del Remedio. It’s open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-6:30 p.m. The American Council of Engineering Companies have this very helpful document laying out the different roles of the design team for rebuilding your home. After a natural disaster is a very common time for people to be scammed. Be weary of any contractors who approach you. The California Contractors State License Board has a ton of resources to help you through the process of finding a contractor. Here are some of the most helpful ones: After a Disaster, Don’t Get Scammed! 10 Tips to Make Sure Your Contractor Measures Up Owner-Builders Beware! Know Your Responsibilities as an Owner-Builder Tips for Hiring a Roofing Contractor Choosing the Right Landscaper And most importantly, check the contractor’s license number before hiring them!

Those unable to work due to the fire

Those who were unable to work due to the fire, may be eligible for unemployment benefits. More information can be found here and you can apply here. Additionally, if you are having a hard time making rent due to loss of work and having difficulty negotiating an extension with your landlord and need assistance, the County contracts with the Legal Aid Foundation in the unincorporated area and the City of Santa Barbara has the Rental Housing Mediation Taskforce.

Farmers and Growers Affected by the Fire

There are a number of programs offered by the USDA to farmers and growers who have been affected by a natural disaster. You can find out more about them here. Because we are still waiting on the President to declare a national emergency in Santa Barbara County, there are only two of the programs currently available – the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and the Tree Assistance Program. To stay in the loop on what programs may be available to you, subscribe to the USDA Farm Service Agency text alerts. Our Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner is working to organize a meeting specifically for farmers and growers. Look out for more information on that soon.

Businesses

Here is the Business Recovery Resources Guide for information on what help is available through the State. Here is a guide from the State Franchise Tax Board on How to Claim a State Tax Deduction from disaster loss

Supervisor Das Williams: 805-568-2186. The Behavioral Wellness hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 888-868-1649.