[Photo credit: Pasadena Humane]

Rosemead postal worker is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 6 in connection with the Aug. 18 encounter on Mohawk Street

Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged a U.S. Postal Service worker with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals in connection with an Aug. 18 encounter in East Pasadena in which home security video appeared to show a mail carrier striking Sugar, an all-white peacock that residents describe as a neighborhood fixture, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Court records cited by the Times identify the defendant as Charanjit Singh, 48, of Rosemead, and show the charge was filed Thursday.

A criminal charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. The Times reported that Singh could not immediately be reached for comment.

Video from cameras at the home of neighbor Gina Davis reportedly appeared to show the carrier directing liquid toward the bird and throwing a rock or similar object. Later, it allegedly appeared to show him striking Sugar with a stick or club near the mail truck. The bird appeared to flop around before collapsing.

“The peacock was just standing in front of his truck,” Davis told the Times.

Davis has also said Sugar sometimes chased the carrier.

“There are times when we’ve seen him chase the mail carrier, and I understand, but you can’t just throw rocks and hit with sticks,” she told KABC-TV in August.

The Postal Service, which is conducting its own investigation, has said employees in the area “have experienced previous encounters with peacocks.”

In a statement, the agency said it takes allegations of inappropriate conduct seriously “and will take appropriate action, as warranted, consistent with Postal Service policies.”

A Pasadena Humane veterinarian found several minor wounds with swelling, and nothing appeared to be broken on X-rays, the organization said in August. Pasadena Humane Animal Control investigated and turned the case over to the District Attorney’s Office for review.

In September, Pasadena Humane said Sugar had fully recovered and had been moved to a private ranch in Northern California. Its wildlife experts determined that relocation “would offer him the best quality of life and help reduce the risk of future negative encounters given the significant public attention surrounding his case,” the nonprofit said.

Singh is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 6.

Students walk and ride electric bicycles on campus at the University of California, Davis on Oct. 3, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Electric bicycles allow riders to zip across town in a way that’s more affordable and environmentally friendly than gas-powered cars. They reduce traffic, can help people with mobility issues and generally are fun to use.

But the rising use of e-bikes has also resulted in high-profile collisions and growing safety concerns among parents, healthcare professionals and state legislators. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed three new e-bike laws. They follow one he signed earlier this summer  to develop an e-bike safety training program for students.

The measures limit youth access to e-bikes, set sidewalk speed limits and clarify what exactly classifies as an e-bike. But critics of the laws fear overregulation and over-policing could discourage riders from a mode of transit they argue is inexpensive, clean and liberating.

Here’s a look at the new laws.

Age limits in San Mateo County

Assembly Bill 2595 authorizes a San Mateo County pilot program banning children under 12 from riding certain lower-speed e-bikes. Parents or guardians whose children violate the law face $25 fines. At the end of the pilot, which is scheduled to sunset in 2031, the county must report to the Legislature about the program, including the number of traffic stops initiated for a citation.

The governor in 2024 signed laws to establish similar programs in San Diego and Marin counties. Other states, including Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, also have minimum age requirements for e-bikes ranging from ages 14 to 16. California does not have an age minimum for most e-bikes, although riders of the fastest ones must be at least 16.

A study by researchers from UC San Diego found that e-bike collisions — particularly among riders ages 14 and younger — are “rapidly increasing” in the state. In 2018 there were two incidents, compared to 1,566 in 2024, though e-bike usage in general has expanded over recent years.

Assemblymember Diane Papan, a San Mateo Democrat, proposed the latest pilot after two young children in the county died in collisions involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles. One of the crashes last year in Burlingame involved an SUV driver who initially collided with an 11-year-old on an e-bike. The driver then fatally struck 4-year-old Ayden Fang who was playing on a nearby sidewalk.

“There were multiple responsible parties at multiple points where this could have been avoided,” said Xiaoming Fang, Ayden’s father, at an Assembly hearing in April. “An 11-year-old should not be riding a motorized vehicle that can go up to 20 miles an hour.”

E-bikes require a level of judgment and situational awareness that young children do not yet have, said Robin Pang-Maganaris, a city council member for Belmont.

“What results is not just a risk to those children, but an undue and unfair burden on drivers, parents, teachers and community members who are forced to anticipate the unpredictable movements of these young e-bikes.”

Setting speed limits

The governor also signed AB 2346, which imposes new manufacturing and disclosure requirements for e-bikes and sets speed limits for riding on a sidewalk.

Starting Jan. 1, 2029, Class 2 e-bikes (or an e-bike that provides throttle and pedal assistance up to 20 mph) will be required to have a speedometer, and all e-bikes must have either integrated or detachable front and rear lights. E-bike retailers will be required to disclose to consumers information about each e-bike, including what class it belongs to, its maximum speed and if it has any age restrictions.

Another part of the law taking effect on Jan. 1, 2027 empowers local governments to set speed limits on bike paths and multiuse trails, ranging from 10 to 20 mph, and sets a default statewide limit for riding on sidewalks to 10 mph. Speed limits established before the provision goes into effect can remain.

E-bike vs. e-moto

The third law Newsom signed cracks down on retailers that sell devices that go faster than e-bikes, such as electric motorcycles that can travel over 28 mph, but are marketed to consumers as legal e-bikes.

A 2025 report by San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute found that illegal e-motos are the primary reason behind increased injuries among electric mobility riders, not legal e-bikes.

Senate Bill 1167 sailed through the Legislature with strong bipartisan support and no vote in opposition. Four key advocacy groups for bicycling and traffic safety  — Cal Bike, People for Bikes, Streets for All and Streets are for Everyone — also backed the measure.

The law does not punish legal e-bikes, said Marc Vukcevich, Streets For All’s director of state policy, during a June hearing. Instead, it addresses what he calls “the e-moto problem.”

“Right now, public confidence in e-bikes is being undermined by a different category of vehicle, he said. “Which are high-powered electric mopeds, motor-driven cycles, and e-motos that are being marketed, sold and used as if they were ordinary bicycles or e-bikes.”

Villainizing e-bikes?

All three laws passed in the Legislature by almost unanimous votes, but they faced some criticism from e-bike advocates.

In its opposition to the San Mateo pilot, Streets for All characterized the plan as ineffective and premature since data from San Diego County’s pilot has not yet been submitted. In developing more pilots before reviewing data from existing ones, the move “undermines evidence-based policymaking,” it said.

There’s also concern about proper enforcement, said David Martinez, Streets for All’s state policy manager.

“How can you tell a 13-year-old from a 12-year-old?” he said. “I don’t know if that’s easily discernible.”

E-bike proponents also said they worried the new measures risk criminalizing e-bike riders, and they argued that legislators should focus more on creating roads that accommodate all types of users, instead of just regulating e-bikes. They point out that thousands of Californians die every year in vehicle collisions.

“Fifty percent of all vehicle trips in the country are three miles or less,” said Martinez. “That’s a bikeable distance. If we just had more protected, safe infrastructure where people from ages 8 to 80 can ride safely and feel comfortable while riding, then we can also … reduce the number of crashes that happen.”

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Los Angeles County has launched an investigation into claims handling practices by the California FAIR Plan Association for policyholders impacted by the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires, officials announced Wednesday.

The county’s investigation focuses on potential violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and comes in the wake of complaints from residents about delays, underpayments and denials of wildfire claims. County officials also said residents have complained about the association’s refusals to pay for testing and remediation of toxic contamination.

County Counsel has formally notified FAIR Plan that if it is engaging in any unlawful or unfair business practices, the company must immediately stop such conduct and comply with state law.

California FAIR Plan officials said they received a letter from the county asking them to furnish certain information about how claims related to the two fires were handled. The organization is reviewing the letter.

“The California FAIR Plan deeply empathizes with all FAIR Plan policyholders who suffered losses in the devastating Los Angeles fires. We recognize that many communities continue to feel the lasting impacts of the Eaton and Palisades wildfires disasters,” the group’s statement said.

The organization said it has handled 5,400 claims from the Eaton and Palisades fires, paying nearly $3.5 billion to policy holders.

“We remain committed to supporting our policyholders impacted by disaster. The FAIR Plan evaluates each claim on its own merits, and pays all covered claims, including smoke damage claims, up to the individual policy limits, in compliance with all laws relating to property and casualty insurance claims handling,” California FAIR Plan’s statement concluded.

The California FAIR Plan is a private association composed of all insurers licensed to write property insurance in the state. It is funded primarily through the policies it sells to customers.

It is not a state agency and is not funded by state or other public agencies, according to the county. It’s an insurer of last resort for property and fire insurance for homeowners who cannot buy coverage in the traditional market.

“After having their lives devastated by the fires, Altadena residents should not be victimized yet again by their own insurance company,” said LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena and Pasadena.

A July 2026 survey from the Department of Angels, a nonprofit organization, found that 67% of FAIR Plan customers were dissatisfied, the most of any insurer. Embold Research surveyed 2,023 adults in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena and Malibu from June 3-15, 2026, for the Department of Angeles report.

The survey found that FAIR Plan customers were significantly more likely than customers of other insurers to have received lowball estimates, poor communication, conflicting or inaccurate information, and claims denials. The survey found that over 50% of respondents reported having multiple adjusters assigned to their claims.

“Fire survivors who paid their premiums deserve fair and timely compensation — not delays, denials, or a choice between an unsafe home and financial devastation,” County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement.

Horvath, whose district encompasses Pacific Palisades and Malibu, added that the FAIR Plan is the third insurer Los Angeles County is investigating over its treatment of fire survivors.

“We made a promise to stand with Palisades and Eaton Fire survivors through recovery, and we intend to keep it. Los Angeles County will use every tool available to protect survivors and hold accountable those who fail them,” Horvath said.

County Counsel is empowered by statute to investigate and prosecute violations of the Unfair Competition Law on behalf of California residents and seek restitution, civil penalties and injunctive relief for any violations.

County Counsel Dawyn Harrison said her office is committed to thoroughly investigating FAIR Plan’s actions and to ensure they are treating claimants fairly.

“The homeowners who rely on FAIR Plan are more vulnerable than others because their options for insurance are severely limited,” Harrison said in a statement.

The announcement follows the county filing a lawsuit on Aug. 31, 2026, against State Farm for violating the Unfair Competition Law and other laws in its handling of fire survivor claims following the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires.

On Sept. 9, 2026, the county announced it was investigating Farmers Insurance over its handling of fire survivor claims following the 2025 fires.

Both State Farm and Farmers Insurance have maintained they have provided extensive support to policyholders.

State Farm said it deployed a Catastrophe Response Team to assist fire survivors, processed 13,700 claims and paid more than $6 billion to customers. Farmers Insurance has disputed county claims, adding the company operates in accordance with state laws.

“We remain focused on handling claims with care, consistency and attention to each customer’s unique situation,” Farmers Insurance said in a statement issued in September.

California Highway Patrol officers will increase patrols across Southern California and the rest of the state beginning Friday evening as part of a 12-hour enforcement operation targeting impaired drivers.

The statewide Maximum Enforcement Period will begin at 6 p.m. Friday and continue until 5:59 a.m. Saturday, with all uniformed CHP personnel participating, according to the agency.

Officers will increase their presence on California roads with a focus on identifying and stopping motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“The message is clear: Impaired driving will not be tolerated on California roads. It is preventable, dangerous and puts every person nearby at risk,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said. “If you plan to drink or may be impaired, arrange a sober ride home. During this statewide enforcement period, CHP personnel of every rank will make it their mission to identify and remove impaired drivers from our roads.”

From 2022 through 2024, alcohol- or drug-impaired driving contributed to an average of nearly 800 fatal crashes each year and more than 39,400 injury crashes overall on California roads, according to data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

During a 12-hour Maximum Enforcement Period held over Halloween weekend last year, CHP officers arrested more than 500 motorists on suspicion of impaired driving and issued nearly 2,000 speeding citations, including 96 to drivers traveling faster than 100 mph, according to the agency.

The CHP urged motorists who see a suspected impaired driver to call 911 and provide information including the vehicle’s make, model, license plate number and direction of travel.

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman addresses ongoing Eaton Fire-related crimes at Tuesday’s town hall meeting

Hochman tells NAACP town hall that prosecutors are pursuing contractor fraud, scams and other crimes targeting fire survivors

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told Eaton Fire survivors Tuesday evening  that his office is actively investigating Southern California Edison and pursuing contractors, scammers and others accused of taking advantage of residents struggling to rebuild after the devastating January 2025 fire.

Speaking at a town hall presented with the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP at the Eaton Fire Collaborative, Hochman described an evolving wave of crimes that began with looting and impersonation of first responders in the days after the fire and has shifted toward contractor fraud, financial scams and other schemes targeting recovery money.

“As long as money is coming into this community to rebuild, there’ll be people wanting to steal it,” Hochman told residents.

Hochman said his office has prosecuted more than 50 people for crimes connected to the Eaton and Palisades fires, with Eaton Fire cases accounting for roughly half or slightly more, depending on the category of crime.

Nine people have been prosecuted in the Eaton Fire area in cases involving unlicensed contracting, he said. Prosecutors have worked with investigators from the California Contractors State License Board to identify contractors operating illegally, including through advertisements and social media postings.

Hochman repeatedly urged homeowners to verify contractors’ licenses before handing over money, warning that unlicensed contractors may demand large upfront payments, fail to obtain permits, or disappear without completing work.

“If someone offers you a deal to do any type of repair, and what they’re charging is too good to be true, I’ll guarantee you it’s too good to be true,” he said.

The discussion also ranged across fraudulent liens, stolen FEMA benefits, theft of building materials, public adjusters, price gouging and possible wrongful foreclosures. Several questions reflected the complicated problems confronting homeowners nearly two years into recovery, including cases in which residents said contractors had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars without paying subcontractors.

Hochman said his office remains particularly concerned about fraud involving government and private recovery assistance. Scammers have used addresses of destroyed homes and public property records to apply for benefits before legitimate homeowners could do so, he said.

The evening’s most closely watched issue, however, involved the investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire.

Hochman said prosecutors are examining scientific and technical evidence, expert reports and material developed through civil litigation as they consider whether criminal charges can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Asked directly whether he planned to prosecute Southern California Edison, Hochman said the criminal investigation remains “very active.”

“When or if we bring that case,” Hochman said, “I think it’s a when and not an if.”

He said any announcement of charges would mean prosecutors believe they can meet the criminal standard of proof.

Hochman also acknowledged the continuing trauma facing Altadena residents as they rebuild their homes and community.

“We’re going to do our absolute best,” he said, “to get to the end of that investigation as soon as possible.”

Nathan Hochman, L.A. County District Attorney via Facebook

The county’s top prosecutor joins a Pasadena NAACP community meeting on protecting Eaton Fire survivors during the recovery

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman will join a town hall in Altadena on Tuesday, Sept. 22, hosted by the Pasadena branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, aimed at helping Eaton Fire survivors guard against the fraud and crime that can follow a disaster.

The meeting will focus not on the fire but on those the District Attorney’s Office says have tried to profit illegally from it. The branch’s announcement says the crimes that can target survivors during recovery and rebuilding include contractor fraud, financial elder abuse, vandalism, looting and rent gouging.

The appearance follows more than a year of enforcement Hochman’s office has pursued in the burn zone.

The town hall runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Road in Altadena, a space that opened in October 2025 as a centralized recovery hub for fire survivors.

The Pasadena NAACP, which is hosting the event with the District Attorney’s Office, announced it on its Facebook page and framed it as a chance for residents to “get informed, ask questions, and learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones during the recovery and rebuilding process.”

The event is open to the community, and the announcement did not list an admission charge or a registration requirement.

Residents can reach the Pasadena NAACP branch at (626) 793-1293 or naacppasadena.org, and the branch asked people to spread word of the meeting to neighbors, relatives and other Eaton Fire survivors.

Hochman’s appearance connects to cases his office has brought since the January 2025 fire. In December 2025, prosecutors announced charges against people accused of contracting without a license inside the Eaton Fire disaster zone, cases the office said at the time remained under investigation with the Contractors State License Board. The office has also charged people in wildfire-related burglaries in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

In July, Langham Hotels Pacific Corporation, owner of The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, agreed to pay $320,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office. The suit alleged the hotel charged guests more than 10% above its regular rates as advertised immediately before the emergency declaration; the company also agreed to at least $216,795 in restitution for eligible guests.

“It is reprehensible to overcharge and take advantage of wildfire victims who were in desperate need of housing as they fled their homes from raging fires last year,” Hochman said in the District Attorney’s Office news release announcing that settlement.

The town hall lands in Altadena, one of Southern California’s most historic Black communities, where the NAACP has kept a presence since the fire.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Road, Altadena. For more call (626) 765-6037 or visit eatonfirecollaborative.org/thecollaboratory. The Pasadena NAACP branch can be reached at (626) 793-1293 or naacppasadena.org. Tickets: No admission charge or registration was announced.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court announced a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program Friday to give court employees the option to leave court service as part of an effort to reduce staff positions and lower expenses amid ongoing budgetary constraints.

The court will offer a $35,000 payment to current full-time employees with five or more years of continuous service who elect to resign. Vacated positions will be eliminated outright, in the effort to produce budget savings rather than one-time relief, the court said in a statement.

Court users should expect reduced or delayed service due to the staffing reductions and other operational cuts, including longer wait times at service windows, slower call center response and delays in legal document processing.

“Just as Los Angeles County residents are struggling to keep pace with rising gas and grocery prices, the court finds itself in a similar bind — our operational costs continue to outpace our budget resources,” Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II.

“We are grateful to our partners in the executive and legislative branches, but the reality is that funding has not kept pace, and the court must responsibly weather this budget storm through difficult decisions like the VSIP, steps that will likely affect the services we provide to the public. Courts are a foundational pillar of our democracy, and it is essential that they be properly and sustainably funded so that all Californians can continue to rely on timely, fair access to justice.”

The court has also delayed or eliminated select special projects and is reviewing programs that fall outside the court’s core mission for potential reduction or elimination and said it is committed to identifying reasonable cost-saving measures available before considering layoffs or furloughs.

Although the court received partial inflationary funding in the state budget, the amount falls short of keeping pace with actual rising costs, the court said. Rising vendor costs, county-provided services, custodial operational expenses and negotiated employee salary increases will exceed the additional inflationary funding by approximately $9.1 million.

The court said that since 2021, the inflationary funding has fallen short of the state Department of Finance’s calculated inflationary need by 13.1% cumulatively, or roughly $88 million.

The problem only starts there, the court said. The Court is underfunded by $233.7 million compared to the funding it needs to process the 1.3 million filings it receives annually. The current state budget leaves the court’s funding at 76.77% of its calculated need, the lowest level since 2021, and the largest raw shortfall since at least 2013, the court said.

“Parting ways with dedicated and talented staff is never something we take lightly,” said Executive Officer and Clerk of Court David W. Slayton. “But with our funding continuing to fall short of what it takes to sustain critical court operations, we are hopeful that enough employees will choose to voluntarily separate, providing critical savings and helping us protect the workforce as we move into the next fiscal year.”

The court said it last used a VSIP program to reduce its budget in 2024, resulting in approximately $4 million in ongoing budget reductions.

The trade mirrors the stewardship rule behind the department’s new field blood program, where unused units go back to the hospital

Pasadena firefighter-paramedics are trading medications nearing their expiration dates to Huntington Hospital Pharmacy in exchange for stock with longer shelf life, an arrangement the City of Pasadena says reduces replacement costs and keeps drugs from going unused or wasted.

Medications approaching expiration go to the hospital pharmacy, where they can be used more quickly, and the fire department receives units dated further out, according to the city. The pharmacy also supplies narcotics and other emergency medical services medications that the city said can be difficult to obtain elsewhere.

The exchange runs alongside a second, larger arrangement with the same hospital system. In August the Pasadena Fire Department joined LA-DROP, the Los Angeles Prehospital Blood Transfusion Program, in partnership with Huntington Health, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, and the Houchin Community Blood Bank.

Under that program, the department carries low-titer O-positive whole blood on two Battalion Chief vehicles, stored in temperature-monitored coolers and given through a rapid infusion system, according to Huntington Health. It lets paramedics begin treating severe blood loss at the scene rather than after a patient reaches an emergency department.

“Severe bleeding remains one of the leading causes of preventable death,” said Chad Augustin, chief of the Pasadena Fire Department.

The blood program carries the same return-it-before-it-expires logic as the medication swap. If blood the department carries goes unused within a set period, the units transfer to Huntington Health, where they can support critically ill patients rather than be discarded.

That approach has a track record to measure against. LA-DROP launched in 2025 as California’s first coordinated prehospital blood transfusion program, and participating agencies have since administered more than 70 prehospital transfusions, managed more than 350 units of blood and held the blood discard rate below 1%, according to Huntington Health.

Savings from the medication exchange are redirected toward emergency medical services equipment, technology and other resources, according to the City of Pasadena.

Nathan Hochman, L.A. County District Attorney via Facebook

The county’s top prosecutor joins a community meeting on protecting Eaton survivors during the recovery

When Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman comes to Altadena on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the subject won’t be the Eaton Fire itself. It will be the people his office says have tried to profit illegally  from it.

The Pasadena NAACP, working with the District Attorney’s Office, will host a town hall focused on the fraud and crime the announcement says can target survivors during recovery: contractor fraud, financial elder abuse, vandalism, looting and rent gouging. The branch announced the event on its Facebook page, framing it as a chance for residents to “get informed, ask questions, and learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones during the recovery and rebuilding process.”

For Hochman, the appearance connects to work his office has been doing in the burn zone for more than a year. In December 2025, prosecutors announced charges against people accused of contracting without a license inside the Eaton Fire disaster zone — cases the office said at the time remained under investigation with the Contractors State License Board.

His office has also charged people in wildfire-related burglaries in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, and it secured a $320,000 settlement from a Pasadena hotel accused of gouging guests who had fled the fires.

“It is reprehensible to overcharge and take advantage of wildfire victims who were in desperate need of housing as they fled their homes from raging fires last year,” Hochman said in a statement announcing that settlement.

The through-line, in the office’s telling, is a second wave of harm following the first. In a countywide statement issued as the fires still burned in January 2025, Hochman said that “those who seek to illegally profit from the pain and suffering of others—whether through looting, fraud, theft, burglary, or any other form of criminal activity—will not go unpunished.”

The NAACP has kept a steady presence in Altadena, one of Southern California’s most historic Black communities, since the fire. The branch asked residents in its announcement to pass word of the town hall to “neighbors, family, and Eaton Fire survivors.”

The NAACP Town Hall on Eaton Fire Recovery is set for Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road — a space that opened in October 2025 as a centralized recovery hub for fire survivors. The event is open to the community, and the announcement does not list an admission charge or a registration requirement. Parking details were not included in the announcement.

For more information, contact the Pasadena NAACP branch at (626) 793-1293 or visit naacppasadena.org.

Los Angeles County is investigating Farmers Insurance Company’s handling of insurance claims filed by policyholders affected by the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires, officials announced Wednesday.

The investigation focuses on potential violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and “follows growing complaints from residents about delays, refusals to pay for testing and remediation of lead and other contamination, underpayments, and denials of legitimate wildfire claims,” according to a statement from the county.

“Eaton Fire survivors did everything right — responsibly paying their premiums year after year — but when disaster hit, Farmers left them with a contaminated home and refused to pay for testing and cleanup,” County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “That’s an unfair business practice that needs to end now. My constituents shouldn’t have to walk back into homes with lead and asbestos because an insurance company won’t pay for the test that would prove it’s there. We are going to hold Farmers accountable to the law, and if they’ve broken it, they will answer for it.”

Officials said that at a recent meeting with Eaton Fire survivors, Farmers policy holders told the county that the company has been slow, resistant or outright refused to pay for testing for contamination by qualified industrial hygienists, forcing residents to pay for testing out of pocket.

Testing allegedly revealed that many standing homes are contaminated with unsafe levels of lead, asbestos, chromium and other toxic substances. Survivors further reported that Farmers is refusing to pay for adequate remediation of these contaminants and declining to cover ongoing living expenses.

Farmers Insurance issued a statement saying the company is dedicated to helping wildfire victims “recover and move forward.”

“Since the fires, we have dedicated significant resources to assisting affected policyholders and providing support throughout the claims process,” according to the company. “Serving our customers during difficult times is at the heart of what we do, which is why each claim is reviewed individually, taking into account the specific circumstances of the loss and the coverage provided under the policy. We remain focused on handling claims with care, consistency and attention to each customer’s unique situation.

“As always, we operate in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We do not believe the inquiry accurately characterizes our actions or practices and will cooperate through the appropriate process.”

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said policyholders who have paid “million of dollars in premiums … deserve the benefits and support they paid for.”

“Families whose homes survived the Palisades and Eaton Fires but remain damaged or contaminated should not be forced to choose between returning to an unsafe home and financial devastation,” Horvath said. “Farmers has had more than enough time to do right by their customers. They cannot evade the law or their responsibility to the people who paid for their coverage. Our residents deserve justice and Los Angeles County is taking action.”

In August, following similar action by the state, the county filed a lawsuit against State Farm insurance company, also alleging widespread mishandling of claims by policy holders in the Eaton and Palisades burn zones.