Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Eaton Fire Survivors Press Five Recovery Priorities at Sacramento Capitol

Heavenly Hughes of Dena Rise Up speaks at Tuesday’s press conference in Scramento. [Instagram]

Dena Rise Up coalition holds Capitol press conference, meets with lawmakers on insurance, contamination and housing demands

More than 80 Eaton Fire survivors held a State Capitol press conference Tuesday and met with state legislators through the afternoon, pressing five recovery priorities organized by the Dena Rise Up coalition.

“They need to hear the voices of survivors. We know it’s important to put pressure on those who are holding the key to our recovery,” Heavenly Hughes, a Dena Rise Up representative and Eaton Fire survivor, said at the press conference, according to CBS Sacramento.

The priorities are three pending bills — AB 1642 on wildfire contamination testing, SB 878 on insurance payment timeliness and SB 1301 on insurance non-renewal protections — a proposed CARE Fund the coalition described as a $300 million community-rebuild ask, and an Urgent Housing Relief Proposal directing Southern California Edison to advance up to $200,000 per displaced household.

Tuesday’s event came five days after the Senate Appropriations Committee cleared SB 878 and SB 1301, along with the related SB 877, to the Senate Floor on May 14, according to Consumer Watchdog.

AB 1642, authored by Asm. John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee earlier in the month and awaits Assembly Floor action.

The trip was the second mobilization by Altadena and Pasadena fire survivors in roughly a month, following an April 22 press conference led by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena).

Kai Timbadia, 18, an Eaton Fire survivor whose family was displaced and remains separated by housing constraints, told the press conference, “We should not have to fight against the systems that are supposed to protect us. We ask you to move with the same urgency we have been moving with for the past 16 months.”

Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), who represents the 24th Senate District and authored SB 1301, said, “We need the powers that be to recognize these problems continue to fester; these challenges have not gone away,” according to CBS Sacramento.

Damon Blount, an Eaton Fire survivor who lost his home, said, “We are literally in the process of rebuilding right now, but we are still waiting on answers from the insurance company. We are on hold, we are stuck.”

The group arrived by bus Monday after a 9 a.m. departure from the Pasadena Community Job Center.

The $200,000 demand is directed at Edison, not the state. Edison has not admitted liability for the Eaton Fire and operates a separate voluntary Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program; the cause remains under investigation by Cal Fire, and the U.S. Department of Justice sued Edison in September alleging the utility was at fault.

Governor Gavin Newsom was not present. He was in Washington, D.C., meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on California issues including Los Angeles wildfire recovery, according to a gov.ca.gov statement.

The $100 million Disaster Rebuilding Fund, announced May 14 as part of the Governor’s revised 2026-27 budget, would backstop construction loans and help homeowners buy down interest rates during rebuilding, according to Los Angeles Times reporting; it requires legislative approval.

The survivors’ demands and the state’s responses are both before the Legislature this month.

“So what’s the one thing? We need money now,” Hughes said at the close of the press conference, according to CBS Sacramento.