Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Wildfire Recovery Roundtable Thursday Will Spotlight Altadena’s Business Rebuilding Priorities

Thursday session will address retention, insurance, capital access and price gouging

A community roundtable scheduled for Thursday, July 24, will focus on supporting Altadena business and commercial property owners impacted by the Eaton Fire. The free event will be held at 2 p.m. in the Westminster Presbyterian Church community room and will tackle issues including employee and business retention, rebuilding, capital access, insurance and price gouging enforcement.

“Our small business owners are the backbone of Altadena’s economy, and we must do everything we can to help them recover,” Barger said during an April motion approving economic aid.

The event is hosted by Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office in partnership with the Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and the Los Angeles County Development Authority. No registration is required.

Since the fire’s containment on January 31, more than $27 million has been distributed in aid to households, businesses and workers. According to Cal Fire, the Eaton Fire destroyed 9,391 structures, making it the state’s second most destructive wildfire.

The County launched the Altadena Recovery Commission in February and helped form the Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery, a biweekly working group that includes the Chamber of Commerce, Town Council, NAACP and local heritage organizations.

“The CCAR will work with Supervisor Barger’s staff to ensure that Eaton Fire recovery efforts are systematic, methodical — and community-driven,” according to local nonprofit AltadenaWILD.

The church venue at 1757 N. Lake Ave. has capacity for 100 in its community room, with parking and accessibility support available.

Officials expected to attend include DEO Director Kelly LoBianco, DCBA Director Rafael Carbajal and LACDA Executive Director Emilio Salas. These departments have led consumer protection, housing support and business revitalization efforts since the fire.

“We cannot afford to wait for the federal disaster aid, which may not arrive for some time,” Barger told residents during a community meeting on July 22.