Saturday, September 26, 2026

District Attorney Hochman to Discuss Eaton Fire Probe on KBLA’s ‘Altadena Forward’ Saturday

The live interview on James Farr’s Altadena recovery program radio program follows a Sept. 22 town hall at which Hochman called the Edison investigation “very active”

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is scheduled to discuss the Eaton Fire criminal investigation live Saturday, Sept. 26, on KBLA Talk 1580’s “Conversation Live: Altadena Forward,” host James Farr announced.

The 10 a.m. interview follows a Sept. 22 town hall at which Hochman told fire survivors that his office’s criminal investigation of Southern California Edison remains “very active.” It also follows the Aug. 4 release of Los Angeles County Fire Department reports concluding that electrical arcing on an out-of-service Edison tower caused the January 2025 fire.

“When or if we bring that case —I think it’s a when and not an if,” Hochman reportedly said at the town hall, held at the Eaton Fire Collaborative. He said prosecutors are weighing scientific and technical evidence, expert reports and material from civil litigation as they decide whether charges can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Farr will ask Hochman about the Edison investigation and about what the district attorney’s office looks for when fraud allegations involve fire-relief funds, nonprofits and community-based organizations, according to the announcement.

“We asked for accountability,” Farr said. “Now we get to ask the questions.”

At the town hall, Hochman said his office has prosecuted more than 50 people for crimes connected to the Eaton and Palisades fires.

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

Michael Williams of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles is to join the broadcast after the Hochman interview to discuss the group’s call for criminal charges over the 19 deaths in the fire, the announcement said.

That segment will also revisit the town hall, which the announcement said was presented by the Pasadena branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the district attorney’s African American Advisory Council. Survivors, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and Farr called on Hochman on Sept. 9 outside the Hall of Justice to prosecute Edison, according to the announcement.

Edison said in its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it is “not aware of any basis for felony liability with regards to the Eaton Fire.” The county fire department said its published reports are redacted because the district attorney’s office has an ongoing review of the evidence.

The program airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. and rebroadcasts Sundays at 11 a.m. KBLA launched the show as “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising” in March 2025.

NEED TO KNOW

Event: “Conversation Live: Altadena Forward with James Farr,” with Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. When: Saturday, Sept. 26; rebroadcast Sunday, Sept. 27. Time: 10 a.m.; rebroadcast 11 a.m. Cost: Free. Where: KBLA Talk 1580 AM. Listen online: https://rdo.to/KBLA. For more, call 323-290-4690 or visit https://kbla1580.com/saturday-line-up/.