He finally got to visit his neighborhood. His house is gone as he expected as are 9 out of 10 on his street. The only house to survive was one under construction. He was happy to see that a car which he had left there was intact and driveable. He and his wife are currently living in his camper parked behind a plumbing supply store. He sounded more upbeat than the last I talked to him.
As he understands it the new CA solar requirements don’t go into effect until 2020 so he’s hoping to rebuild before that.