Thursday, May 28, 2026

Latino Eaton Fire Survivors in Pasadena, Altadena the Focus of New Outreach Effort

[Eddie Rivera / Pasadena Now]

LA Fire Justice, a coalition of wildfire attorneys, fire–origin experts and insurance specialists, will hold a Thursday press conference at El Portal Restaurant in Pasadena to reach Latino families who lost homes, income or stability in the January 2025 blaze. 

The event will take place in the dining room of owner and Eaton Fire survivor Abel Ramirez, whose popular restaurant sits near the Pasadena Playhouse. 

The outreach effort — titled “No Te Hemos Olvidado” (“we have not forgotten you”) — is meant to reach Latino survivors who, more than a year later, have not asked whether they may be owed compensation. 

LA Fire Justice is led by Chris Holden, a former Pasadena mayor and state Assemblymember, and has represented Eaton Fire clients and operated a Pasadena office since shortly after the fire. 

Latino families disproportionately affected, analysis shows 

A UCLA analysis published in October found that 27 percent of the people living in the Eaton Fire burn area were Latino. The study, produced by the university’s Latino Policy and Politics

Institute, examined who has been able to rebuild in Altadena. It found that Latinos made up 44 percent of burn–area residents with the greatest financial need, and that Latino homeowners whose homes were severely damaged filed rebuilding permits at a higher rate — about 30 percent — than other groups. 

Attorney Maribel Medina, who will speak at Thursday’s event, said in written responses that many Latino families do not know they may have a legal claim or wrongly believe that accepting insurance or federal aid disqualifies them. 

“Receiving insurance proceeds or FEMA assistance does not disqualify you,” Medina wrote. 

She said barriers include adult children or parents living in a relative’s household who do not realize they may also qualify, tenants in converted garages, and survivors who assumed that receiving insurance or federal aid ended the matter. 

Medina, a California attorney with more than 30 years of experience, was born in Mexico, raised in a California farmworker family and was the first in her family to attend college. 

She wrote that her own family “suffered tragedies growing up, and we had no idea how to contact an attorney,” noting that wildfire attorneys typically work on contingency, meaning clients pay nothing up front. 

Her first piece of advice is also the hardest for many in the community: “Speak to an attorney. I know that sounds simple, but for many people in this community, it is not.” She said the coalition has set up consultation hours in Spanish and English, by video call and in person, adding that “the door to justice should never be closed simply because someone doesn’t know how to knock.” 

Two–year filing deadline approaching 

LA Fire Justice is also warning survivors about the legal clock. Under California law, personal–injury and wrongful–death claims generally must be filed within two years of the date of harm — for the Eaton Fire, January 7, 2027. 

“Seven months will arrive before families realize it,” Medina wrote. “The window is closing.” 

The coalition’s fact sheet says bilingual staff will answer questions in Spanish and English.