Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Altadena Fire Survivor Says Unlicensed Contractor Took $18,000, Left Home Repairs Incomplete

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

An Altadena woman whose home was damaged in the 2025 Eaton Fire said she was victimized by an unlicensed contractor who took thousands of dollars and failed to complete promised repairs.

Pamelia Lawson told KNBC News that she was approached by a contractor shortly after the Eaton Fire damaged her home, one of more than 1,000 properties affected by the January 2025 disaster. The individual offered to repair her home at what she believed was a reasonable price.

“I do feel like they saw a person that was really in need of some type of help and guidance,” Lawson told KNBC News. “This was so new. We’ve never experienced a fire, and I think I was totally taken advantage of.”

Lawson said she paid the contractor $18,000 before losing contact with him after he cashed her checks. Photographs she shared with NBC News showed what appeared to be unfinished work.

Her experience comes as authorities increase enforcement against unlicensed contractors accused of targeting wildfire victims in Southern California.

Under California law, contracting without a license in connection with a natural disaster is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

According to NBC News, the California Contractors State License Board advises homeowners not to pay more than 10% of the total contract price or $1,000, whichever is less, as an initial down payment. After that, payments should be tied to materials provided and work completed.

The licensing board also recommends consumers verify a contractor’s license before signing a contract and keep detailed records of all transactions.

Katherine Peoples of HPP Cares, a nonprofit that provides free counseling to homeowners hiring contractors, said consumers should obtain both a contractor’s license number and driver’s license number before work begins.

Peoples also warned that some unlicensed contractors falsely claim to be licensed by using another person’s contractor license number.

“That’s another predatory activity where someone says, ‘Oh yeah, I’m licensed,'” Peoples told NBC News. “And then when you actually ultimately find out that was not their license number that they gave you.”

Lawson ultimately received assistance from the Hope Crisis Response Network, which helps rebuild homes following disasters. Although she said she has spent about $50,000 repairing her home, she told NBC News the work is now nearly complete.