{"id":78466,"date":"2026-01-07T16:40:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T00:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=78466"},"modified":"2026-01-07T16:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T00:40:50","slug":"one-year-after-the-eaton-and-palisades-fires-survivors-unite-to-unlock-the-billions-needed-to-come-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=78466","title":{"rendered":"One Year After the Eaton and Palisades Fires, Survivors Unite to Unlock the Billions Needed to Come Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Survivor-led coalition of more than 10,000 survivors and allies details how collective action has already moved over $100 million in delayed insurance payments, and why tens of billions more must be delivered<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nALTADENA, Calif.<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 One year after the Eaton and Palisades fires, survivors described a recovery moving unevenly, with some households beginning to rebuild while many others remain displaced, watching savings drain as payments they are owed arrive slowly or not at all.<\/p>\n

Speakers characterized the recovery as K-shaped. At the top of the K are families who had wealth before the fires, and those whose insurance claims were paid fully and on time. At the bottom are most survivors, still displaced one year later, facing mounting debt, housing instability, and the risk of permanent displacement.<\/p>\n

Speakers said this pattern closely mirrors outcomes from past California wildfires.<\/p>\n

\nReporting by the\u00a0Los Angeles Times<\/em>\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0that after five major California fires between 2017 and 2020, only 38% of destroyed homes were rebuilt eight years later. Communities returned only when insurance paid fully and on time and when utilities paid when they were responsible. Where those payments did not arrive, displacement became long-term.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThat history shows exactly what\u2019s happening here,\u201d said\u00a0Joy Chen<\/strong>, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network and a smoke damage survivor. \u201cRecovery accelerates when the money shows up. When it doesn\u2019t, families are pushed out.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nOne year later, most families are still not home<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nNew\u00a0survey data<\/a>\u00a0from the Department of Angels shows that about 70% of Eaton and Palisades survivors remain displaced one year after the fires. Nearly half report exhausting most or all of their savings, and more than 40% have taken on new debt to cover rent, storage, repairs, and basic living expenses.<\/p>\n

\nAccording to the\u00a0Eaton Fire Collaborative Housing Impact Survey<\/a>, the Eaton Fire decimated local affordable housing, causing rents to double or triple overnight. Because of those increases, insurance housing coverage that was designed to last two to three years is being consumed far more quickly, leaving most displaced families facing the end of their coverage in the coming months.<\/p>\n

Local mental health providers report rising suicidal ideation among survivors, which speakers said is closely linked to prolonged financial strain and housing instability rather than lack of effort or resilience.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis is not about people giving up,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIt\u2019s about families running out of the funds they need to move forward with their recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nHousing coverage is expiring as families face homelessness<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nThose pressures are already playing out for families whose housing coverage has ended or is about to expire.<\/p>\n


\nAda Hernandez<\/strong>, a total-loss homeowner with two young children, said temporary housing support provided through charitable assistance ends Jan. 14, after which her family faces the prospect of homelessness while continuing to pay a mortgage on a destroyed home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, my family may be living in our car,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cUrgent housing relief would keep us housed while we rebuild. Without housing, recovery collapses.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nEdison and urgent housing relief<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nSpeakers said Southern California Edison represents a second critical source of recovery funding, particularly to keep families housed while rebuilding unfolds.<\/p>\n

\nA\u00a0broad civic coalition<\/a>\u00a0representing more than 40,000 residents, over 250 nonprofit organizations, and 150 faith leaders has come together to call on Edison to advance urgent housing relief for families displaced by the Eaton Fire.<\/p>\n


\nChristy Zamani,<\/strong>\u00a0CEO of Day One and a leader of the Eaton Fire Collaborative Leadership Council, pointed to survey data showing that the Eaton Fire decimated affordable housing, causing local rents to double or triple.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOur urgent housing relief proposal would keep families housed now,\u201d Zamani said. \u201cIt would prevent mass homelessness and allow recovery to finally move forward for all families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nSupporters said the proposal would function as a short-term cash-flow bridge, separate from long-term settlements, enabling families to remain housed while rebuilding and insurance claims proceed.<\/p>\n


\nInsurance delays and underpayments as a central barrier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nSurvivors and officials said insurance delays and underpayments remain a central barrier to recovery.<\/p>\n

\nAccording to Department of Angels\u00a0data<\/a>, 70% of insured Eaton and Palisades survivors report that delays, denials, or underpayments are blocking their recovery. Survivors described months without responses, frequent adjuster changes, and revised loss estimates that reduced payouts without new testing or explanation.<\/p>\n


\nClaire Thompson<\/strong>, a homeowner and small business owner, said her family paid insurance premiums for nearly a decade and was initially told their smoke-damaged home needed to be taken down to the studs, a determination that was later reversed.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe fire damage to my house did not change,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cBut the loss estimate did, and it was reduced to an amount that made recovery impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nCoalition leaders said Thompson\u2019s experience is representative. The Eaton Fire Survivors Network has documented nearly 500 accounts of delayed, denied, or underpaid claims in what is known as\u00a0The State Farm Files<\/em><\/a>, linking those cases to alleged violations of state insurance law.<\/p>\n

\nSurvivors said prolonged delays force families to choose between continuing to contest underpayments or accepting less than they are owed to remain housed.<\/p>\n


\nSurvivor voices across generations<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nRose Robinson said the fire erased not only her home but generations of family history rooted in Pasadena and Altadena. She is the daughter of Olympic silver medalist Mack Robinson and the niece of baseball great Jackie Robinson.<\/p>\n

\nShe lost all family heirlooms in the fire, including her father\u2019s Olympic medal. In the months that followed, Robinson moved repeatedly, packing all of her remaining belongings into her car, leaving space only for the driver\u2019s seat. As the strain compounded, she was hospitalized and later went on state disability, unable to continue working.<\/p>\n

\nRobinson said, \u201cThis shows that recovery cannot depend on who you are or what your family contributed. Tenants matter. Survivors matter.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nHow $100 million finally moved<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nCoalition leaders detailed two moments when coordinated survivor action led directly to large-scale insurance payments.<\/p>\n

\nIn April, at the 100-day anniversary of the fires, survivors held a press conference calling on regulators to intervene after months of stalled claims. That same day, State Farm increased its default contents payout for Eaton and Palisades survivors from 50% to 65% of policy limits without requiring itemized lists.<\/p>\n

\nCoalition leaders said that single policy change released approximately $90 million directly to survivors who had been waiting for months.<\/p>\n

\nAfter months of appeals to state regulators failed to produce action, survivors brought their evidence of insurer misconduct to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. In November, the county launched a formal investigation into State Farm\u2019s handling of Eaton and Palisades fire claims.<\/p>\n

\nWithin one day of the investigation\u2019s announcement, survivors reported checks arriving that had been stalled for nearly a year. Coalition leaders said tens of millions of additional dollars moved as a result.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis didn\u2019t happen because individual families fought harder,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIt happened because survivors moved together, shared evidence, and sought accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nOne family, one check, one turning point<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nMark Mariscal, a local community leader caring for his grandchildren, described what that shift meant for his family.<\/p>\n

\nFor months, Mariscal said, his insurance claim remained unresolved while his family depleted savings and lacked the funds to begin rebuilding.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cRight after the county investigation launched, State Farm sent me $346,000,\u201d Mariscal said. \u201cThat money finally made it possible for our family to rebuild. Before that, we were stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nLos Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger<\/strong>\u00a0said the outcome demonstrated both the power of collaboration and the important role of oversight.<\/p>\n

\n“When survivors brought forward clear evidence and data, the county didn\u2019t hesitate\u2014we immediately acted,” Supervisor Barger said. “Money that had been stalled began to flow. This was a big deal and an important milestone for Altadena.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nFederal funds as the third pillar<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nMiguel Santana<\/strong>, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, said federal funding is the third essential pillar of recovery and remains incomplete.<\/p>\n

\n“Survivors face an especially precarious reality, at risk of long-term displacement at extraordinary cost. The utility company responsible for the fires, insurance companies, and the federal government have the duty, scale, and resources to step up alongside state and local government, philanthropy, community, and private partners to ensure people can rebuild their lives and return home, ” said Santana. “When everyone makes good on their legal and moral obligations to ensure funding reaches survivors, families can get home. Otherwise, the destruction of displacement becomes permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nLegislative response and oversight<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nState Senator Sasha Ren\u00e9e P\u00e9rez announced the introduction of two bills aimed at curbing illegal insurance delays and underpayments.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSo many Eaton Fire survivors have had their recoveries needlessly blocked by insurance companies with their long delays and questionable decisions\/dealings. This can\u2019t continue,\u201d said Senator P\u00e9rez. \u201cI am introducing two pieces of legislation\u2014 one that will penalize insurance companies that don\u2019t meet their legal deadlines to make payments and a second that will force insurance companies to show their cards to policyholders when determining loss claim payment amounts. Real transparency and accountability will lead to a faster recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nAssemblymember John Harabedian said a new state audit will examine fire response and recovery failures.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOne year later, we remember the lives lost and devastation caused by the Eaton Fire, but we still don\u2019t have answers about everything that went wrong that night. My state-led audit will shed light on what happened, provide the transparency needed to hold those responsible accountable, and prevent future disasters. Justice is not optional, and protecting our communities is not negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe road ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nChen said the past year has clarified both the challenge and the opportunity ahead.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIn one year, survivors unlocked real money by finding each other and working together,\u201d she said. \u201cConnection turned into coordination. Coordination started to move the money that recovery requires.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the implications extend far beyond Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDisasters are accelerating across the country,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIf you pay insurance premiums. If you pay taxes. If you expect the systems you fund to work when it matters most, then this story is about you too. How we unlock the billions needed for recovery is how America learns to come home after disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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