Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Eaton Fire Survivors Head to Sacramento to Press State Leaders for Recovery Funds

By EDDIE RIVERA

Brandon Lamar, NAACP Pasadena Branch President, and José Madura, Pasadena Job Center Director Jose Madera, seen prior to departure Tuesday morning. [Courtesy photos]

More than 100 residents and advocates make two-day trip seeking $25 million for CARE Fund

More than 100 Eaton Fire survivors, residents, workers and community advocates headed to Sacramento Tuesday for a two-day campaign urging state leaders to provide $25 million for a recovery fund aimed at helping displaced Altadena residents return and rebuild.

Before boarding buses at the Pasadena Community Job Center Tuesday morning, survivors and leaders of the Dena Rise Up Coalition held a press conference outlining their demands and describing the financial and housing pressures still facing residents more than a year and a half after the January 2025 fire.

The coalition is seeking $25 million for the proposed Community Aid for Rebuilding Equity, or CARE, Fund, which would provide rebuilding-gap assistance for lower-income homeowners and help preserve and expand affordable housing for renters and working families.

“Recovery cannot be measured by promises. It must be measured by whether families can come home,” coalition spokesperson Florence Annang said. “The CARE Fund is a community-driven solution designed to help working families, renters, seniors, and homeowners rebuild their lives and remain in the communities they helped build.”

Eaton Fire survivor Mary Peterson sharply criticized Southern California Edison and state leaders during the Pasadena press conference.

“SoCal Edison has the nerve to come out and try to protect their shareholders and their profits over our losses,” Peterson said. “What kind of company, what kind of governor represents Wall Street over Eaton Fire survivors?”

Brandon Lamar focused on renters and working families who could be permanently displaced from Altadena.

“We cannot continue to make sure that politics reign over making sure renters have a place to go,” Lamar said. “The CARE Fund is actually allowing people to come back home. It’s creating affordable housing for those who are renters and working-class families.”

The delegation was still en route to Sacramento Tuesday afternoon. Its buses are scheduled to arrive at a West Sacramento hotel between 4 and 4:30 p.m., followed by an evening organizing session in which participants will meet their lobbying teams and prepare for Wednesday’s advocacy.

Wednesday’s schedule begins with a 9 a.m. press conference outside the Governor’s Mansion, followed by a protest with day laborers and a march through downtown Sacramento to the Capitol Swing Space. The planned route includes stops at the state Attorney General’s Office and Legislative Office Building.

After clearing security, participants are scheduled to gather for lunch and lobbying-group meetings before spending three hours, from noon to 3 p.m., meeting with California legislators or their staffs.

The delegation also plans to raise concerns over insurance coverage for toxin testing.

“We need the insurance company to pay for everything that has to do with toxins testing,” an unidentified Eaton Fire survivor traveling with the group said.

The buses are scheduled to leave the Capitol at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and return to Pasadena at about 10 p.m.