A burned-out megamansion once used as a filming location for HBO’s “Succession” is now making headlines for a far less glamorous reason.
The property has been officially declared a public nuisance by the city of Los Angeles after the owners failed to remove hazardous debris left behind by the Palisades wildfire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Once a property is declared a public nuisance, the owner has the right to abate the nuisance until the department solicits bids for the work,” said Gail Gaddi, a spokesperson for the L.A. Department of Building and Safety, the Times reported. “A process or timeline has not been established for when the department will begin to solicit bids.”
The estate, located on North San Onofre Drive in Pacific Palisades, is one of eight fire-damaged properties—ranging from luxury homes to mobile home parks—that are now facing potential forced cleanup by the city, according to the Times.
These cases are a stark reminder of just how far-reaching the challenges of postfire recovery remain in one of the nation’s most high-stakes housing markets, even nine months after the flames were extinguished.
The six-bedroom, 18-bathroom estate was featured in the fourth season of “Succession” as the fictional Roy siblings’ Los Angeles compound. In 2021, it was sold for a jaw-dropping $83 million, according to public records obtained by the Times.
But after the January 2025 wildfires swept through the area, the home was reduced to rubble and has stayed that way.
According to the Times, the property’s owner, a trust, withdrew from the federal debris removal program over concerns that government contractors would damage salvageable materials.
Instead, the owner intended to hire a private contractor—but the estimated cleanup cost of $500,000 to $600,000 has reportedly stalled the process while insurance funds are pending.
At a city hearing last week, Jon Mansfield, a representative for the owner, told officials that cleanup could begin within six weeks, but the city isn’t waiting. The Board of Building and Safety Commissioners voted unanimously to designate the site a public health hazard.
The San Onofre estate is far from the only property now under city scrutiny.
The list includes multifamily apartment buildings and the Pacific Palisades Bowl, a 170-unit mobile home park near Will Rogers State Beach. In many cases, owners missed the federal cleanup deadline, weren’t eligible, or failed to follow through on private removal.
City officials say that once a property is declared a public nuisance, owners still have a short window to handle cleanup themselves. If not, the city can hire contractors and pass the costs back to the property owner. In some cases, unpaid bills may result in liens.
Neighbors aren’t happy with the delays.
“The site remains toxic,” adjacent homeowner Steven Bardack said during the hearing, according to the Times. He added that families with young children have avoided returning to the area over health concerns.
Thousands still waiting to rebuild
Despite early cleanup efforts, rebuilding remains frustratingly slow across both city- and county-governed areas.
More than 11,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Altadena fires. Yet fewer than 800 rebuilding permits have been issued in the Palisades by the city of Los Angeles, and just 568 in Altadena by the county—altogether accounting for less than 10% of homes lost.
As of mid-October, only about 230 homes were under active construction in the Palisades fire zone, according to a recent press release from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.
While local leaders tout faster permitting timelines and nearly complete debris removal from impacted areas, progress has been dragged down by insurance shortfalls, sky-high construction costs, limited labor availability, and complicated zoning requirements.
A recent survey by recovery nonprofit Department of Angels found that 9 out of 10 residents in the Palisades and 8 in 10 in Altadena remain displaced. Many are living in RVs, short-term rentals, or temporary housing units on their own fire-damaged lots.
One growing solution to the displacement crisis? Accessory dwelling units.
Realtor.com® previously reported that more than 5,000 permits have been issued for ADUs across L.A. since the fires, including models built by companies like Samara that offer fire-resistant prefabricated backyard homes.
“Because our homes go in fast, we’re seeing interest from families who want to get back on their property quickly—even while the main house is still in planning,” Samara CEO Mike McNamara told Realtor.com.
Samara’s ADUs range from $152,000 studio models to $277,000 two-bedroom units—far cheaper and quicker to install than rebuilding a full-size home, which can take 12 to 24 months and cost upward of seven figures.
The city has also passed temporary zoning changes allowing ADUs to be used as primary residences during the recovery period, and has fast-tracked permitting to encourage uptake.
As rebuilding drags on, high-profile cases like the “Succession” mansion spotlight the lingering tensions between private property rights and public health concerns—particularly in wealthy neighborhoods where cleanup comes with major price tags.
