Monday, December 15, 2025

New Altadena Wildfire Recovery Financing District Public Meeting Set for Monday

The Altadena Wildfire Recovery Infrastructure Financing District Public Financing Authority will hold a public meeting Monday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m., with a full agenda focused on bylaws, board leadership, and approval of a proposed infrastructure financing plan.

Altadena’s new Public Financing Authority is the governing board for the Altadena Wildfire Recovery Infrastructure Financing District, created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors under SB 782 (Perez) as a separate local governmental entity subject to the Brown Act and state transparency laws. The Board authorized the District and its Authority on Oct. 21, with the Dec. 15 meeting set to consider bylaws, appointments, and the IFP, alongside potential actions to formally form the District and authorize a validation action.

The District is designed to use future property tax increment—not new taxes—from a defined area of unincorporated Altadena to finance wildfire recovery and resilience infrastructure after the Jan. 7, 2025 Eaton Fire. County materials describe an estimated approximately $2 billion investment envelope to rebuild and upgrade facilities, roads, water and sewer systems, utilities and related public works, using a faster disaster recovery district framework than traditional EIFD processes. The District’s geographic footprint covers about 6,683 acres of unincorporated Altadena.

Under the tax-increment model, the District captures growth in property tax above a 2025 base year within its boundaries and dedicates that increment to projects listed in the IFP. The Authority will approve the IFP, oversee expenditures, and may issue bonds backed by the increment to fund multi-year capital work, subject to statutory limits on eligible uses and required public hearings and protest procedures.

The agenda, posted Dec. 11 outlines consideration of adopting bylaws, electing officers, and approving the Infrastructure Financing Plan (IFP), which includes a resolution to formally create the district and authorize related legal validation actions.

The Authority Board will also discuss the selection of an executive director and direct the Interim Executive Director, in consultation with County Counsel, to report back in writing within 180 days with an action plan. That plan must identify required actions at future meetings, including consideration of an annual expenditure plan, operating budget, capital improvement budget, annual audits under Government Code sections 53398.66(j) and 62310, and annual reviews of the IFP.

County departments will be tasked with community engagement, project readiness analysis, and financing options to develop recommendations for sequencing projects identified in the approved IFP, including options for bond issuance.

Members of the Authority Board include Supervisors Hilda L. Solis (Alternate Waqas Rehman), Kathryn Barger (Alternate Anish Saraiya), and Holly J. Mitchell (Alternate Caroline Torosis), along with Wilberta Breedy-Richardson and John Bednarski.

Public participation is available online, by telephone, or in person at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Room 374, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles. Webinar access is available using number 2530 381 1644 with password “awrifd121525.” Telephone access is available by calling (213) 306-3065, using access code 2530 381 1644 and password 29743312. Written public comment must be submitted by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting and will become part of the official record.