Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Even With Unprecedented Charitable Giving, Tens of Billions Still Needed for Wildfire Survivors

A year after the disaster, 7 in 10 Altadena residents remain displaced—and the Pasadena Community Foundation is now calling for federal recovery dollars “at historic levels.”

THERESE EDU

Nearly a year after the Eaton Fire killed at least 19 people and destroyed large swaths of housing in Altadena, charitable giving for Los Angeles fire recovery has approached $1 billion—yet 7 in 10 Altadena residents remain displaced, according to the Department of Angels’ January 2026 survey. The Pasadena Community Foundation, which reports it has disbursed more than $20 million in fire-response grants to over 110 nonprofit partners, says even that historic generosity covers only “a fraction of the tens of billions needed for true recovery.”

“Even with nearly $1 billion in charitable giving across Los Angeles, philanthropy covers only a fraction of the tens of billions needed for true recovery,” said Khanh Duy Russo, president and CEO of the Pasadena Community Foundation.

More than half of all Eaton Fire survivors are at risk of losing their displacement coverage within a year—or never had it at all,

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Eight Organizations, One Year Later: Inside Altadena’s Necessary Experiment in Collective Recovery

The Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery unites groups that don’t always agree. As the Eaton Fire anniversary arrives, they’re betting that shared purpose can hold a fractured community together

THERESE EDU

In the months after the Eaton Fire wrought devastation across Altadena and portions of Pasadena, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger convened a meeting with an unusual premise.

She gathered leaders from eight established Altadena civic organizations — groups with overlapping memberships but distinct missions, different constituencies, and, at times, even competing priorities. The Altadena Town Council. The NAACP. The Chamber of Commerce. The Historical Society. Rotary. Heritage. ACONA. Altadena WILD.

Her charge: find a way to speak to the county with something approaching a unified voice, even when you disagree.

“This afternoon, we convened the very first meeting of the new Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery,” Barger wrote on April 2, 2025. “This group of local leaders know their community best and will help guide our efforts in the months and years to come.”

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Eaton Fire Survivors Face ‘Imminent Housing Crisis’ as Insurance Coverage Expires

More than 70 percent of survivors remain displaced, according to the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, as a one-year anniversary press conference Wednesday will demand action from insurers and Edison

THERESE EDU

One year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena and Pasadena, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, Joy Chen says most survivors are running out of time.

“We have an imminent housing crisis happening that’s underway,” said Chen, Executive Director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, a coalition she describes as representing over 10,000 survivors and allies. Chen, a former Los Angeles deputy mayor, said more than 70 percent of Eaton Fire survivors remain displaced, and insurance housing coverage is expiring in the coming months.

On Wednesday, January 7, the network intends to hold survivor-led press conference at The Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Road in Altadena, to mark the anniversary and press demands for housing relief from insurers, Southern California Edison, and the federal government.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

The Pasadena Jewish Temple Remembers Eaton Fire

Temple and center were completely destroyed in devastating blaze

By EDDIE RIVERA

In the first of what will be numerous events commemorating the date, members of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center were joined by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Tuesday night for a commemoration marking one year since the synagogue was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.

Clark Linstone, President of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, invited Supervisor Barger to join the congregation for the one-year anniversary of the loss of the Temple. The event began with a commemoration, followed by a discussion of the temple’s rebuilding plans, and eventually a time of informal gathering..

The remembrance was held at the site of the former temple—now an empty dirt lot—which was completely lost in the January 7, 2025 wildfire.

Attendees stood together in prayer, honoring the building’s destruction and the impact the fire had on the congregation and the broader community.

Barger stood with Senior Rabbi Joshua Ratner and other temple leaders and congregants as they reflected on the loss of their sacred space and the ongoing recovery process.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Supervisor Barger Issues Statement on Eaton Fire Anniversary, Recovery, Aid and Accountability

On the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger released a statement addressed to survivors, acknowledging their pain, outlining county relief efforts centered in Altadena, and reaffirming her commitment to recovery and accountability. The statement reflects on the past year of recovery in Altadena, details financial assistance delivered to fire-impacted households, workers and businesses, and commits to pressing for stronger emergency notification systems and federal resources to prevent housing instability.

In the statement, Barger said anniversaries of the fire can reopen wounds for those still navigating insurance disputes, contamination cleanup and the slow, exhausting process of rebuilding. She described it as her responsibility to ensure survivors are not facing those challenges alone.

Barger pointed to Altadena’s recovery over the past year, saying Los Angeles County has delivered more than $21 million in household relief grants for Altadena families, nearly $8.5 million for Eaton Fire–impacted small businesses and nonprofits, and more than $2.2 million to workers who lost wages because of the fire.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

One Year After the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena Mark Loss, Recovery, and the Work Still Ahead

One year after the Eaton Fire, politicians, pundits and local residents continue to push forward in the wake of the fire which left Altadena devastated

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, MANAGING EDITOR

It was like a bomb going off, no other way to describe it,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. “And I was there just a few hours after the fire, and was there physically in the midst of the firefighting as I went up into the foothills and experienced firsthand what our first responders were dealing with.”

In the days that followed, entire blocks were transformed. Homes were reduced to foundations and chimneys. Vehicles were left burned in driveways. Power lines sagged. The smell of smoke lingered long after the flames were out, seeping into clothing, furniture, and the routines of daily life.

Within hours of the fire’s advance, community response filled the gaps left by the emergency. Churches, schools, and nonprofit centers opened as informal shelters.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

The Deadly Fires: By The Numbers

CITY NEWS SERVICE

As the Los Angeles region Wednesday marks the anniversary of last year’s deadly wildfires, city and county officials are reviewing building applications and issuing permits, while insurers have paid more than $22.4 billion to reconstruct fire-impacted areas in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena and Pasadena.

That’s just one of the many statistics that help quantify the historic disaster that began one year ago Wednesday.

On Jan. 7, 2025, fires erupted in the Los Angeles region, fueled by dry conditions and extreme Santa Ana winds. The two largest fires displaced thousands of people in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

The Palisades Fire killed 12 people in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga areas, while the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, killed 19. Firefighters fully contained the dual blazes on Jan. 31, 2025.

The Palisades Fire razed a majority of the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. Similarly, homes, schools, places of worship, restaurants and community focal points were lost in Altadena as a result of the Eaton Fire.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Newsom Proclaims Wednesday as Day of Remembrance for Los Angeles Fires

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday’s anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires as a day of remembrance and ordering flags at all state buildings to be flown at half- staff.

“As we mourn the victims of the Los Angeles fires, we also honor the first responders, community leaders and public servants who ran toward danger and went above and beyond to protect Angelenos,” the proclamation, announced Tuesday, reads.

“We recognize the resilience of survivors who continue to rebuild, often carrying grief alongside hope.”

“And we affirm a solemn commitment: California will not turn away. We will stand with these communities until recovery is complete, homes are rebuilt and lives are restored as fully possible,” the proclamation read.

On Jan. 7, 2025, fires erupted in the Los Angeles region fueled by dry conditions and extreme Santa Ana winds. The two largest fires destroyed and displaced thousands of people in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Reporter’s Notebook | One Year Later, the Fire Has Left, but Its Shape Remains

Few homes are rebuilt as a new year begins with nearly-equal parts hope and desperation

Story and photos by EDDIE RIVERA

On the evening of  January 7, 2025, sparks in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena powered by hot, fast, dry winds quickly turned the ensuing brush fire into a jet that swept down through the Eaton Canyon Wash, climbed the hillside up to Altadena Drive, up and over Crescent Drive, and then blew east to west across the town, down into Pasadena, swallowing nearly everything it touched.

The Eaton Fire turned familiar streets in Altadena and Pasadena into corridors of flame. Photographs from that night and morning show buildings lit from the inside, windows glowing orange as fire climbed through rafters and pushed against roofs. Trees, stripped of color, stand as silhouettes against a smoke-thick sky. Speed limit signs  appear almost absurdly calm in the midst of the swirling fire.

One year later, on January 8, 2026,

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Guest Opinion: Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger | A Year Later in Altadena: Rebuilding Must Be Fair

The first week of a new year is often a time for reflection—on what we’ve endured, what we’ve learned, and what still lies ahead. As we enter this new year, that reflection carries particular weight for the Altadena community. Nearly one year after the Eaton Fire, the path to recovery remains deeply personal and far from complete.

We are not “past” this disaster. Recovery is still unfolding, one decision, one permit, one insurance claim at a time. While progress is visible, the impacts of the fire remain very present for families who are still displaced or struggling to begin rebuilding.

Anyone driving through the burn area today sees new home framing rising where ash and debris once settled. Those skeletal outlines, peppered throughout Altadena, are powerful signs of forward movement. But they also reveal a difficult truth: the ability to rebuild is not determined by determination alone. It is shaped by access to capital—insurance coverage, savings, credit, and financial flexibility. The starting line is not the same for everyone.