Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Southern California Edison Will Be A No-Show at Altadena Town Hall About Fire Recovery Fund

STAFF REPORT

At left, Tavis Smiley, founder of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. and host on KBLA Talk 1580. At right, James Farr, host of KBLA’s “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising.”

Southern California Edison has withdrawn from a scheduled Altadena town hall focused on wildfire recovery compensation, prompting sharp criticism from community leaders and KBLA Talk 1580, according to the event’s co-organizer.

KBLA made the announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 4, ahead of the Thursday, Nov. 6 event titled “Understanding the Wildlife Recovery Compensation Fund.”

The town hall, scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. at Victory Bible Church, 1479 N. Hill Avenue in Pasadena, will proceed without Edison’s participation. It aims to provide fire survivors and residents with information on fund eligibility, navigating the claims process, and broader recovery efforts following the Jan. 7 Eaton Fire.

KBLA accused the utility of avoiding accountability and backing out of a public commitment to engage with affected residents.

“Southern California Edison cannot be trusted. After destroying lives and property and then creating a settlement fund that consumer advocates have called ‘fast but not fair,’ now Edison chooses to cancel its participation in a town hall designed to give African American families in particular a chance to ask pertinent questions alongside community leaders,” said Tavis Smiley, founder of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. and host on KBLA Talk 1580. “We will not tolerate this level of disrespect and gaslighting. The Altadena community has suffered enough, and Edison remains tone deaf.”

The event will feature two panels of civic leaders, educators, and advocates. Panel One includes James Farr, host of KBLA’s “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising”; Dr. Eshele Williams, LMFT; Brandon Lamar, president of the Pasadena NAACP; and Zaire Calvin, high school football coach. Panel Two features Martin Gordon, chair of the Pasadena Community Coalition; former Pasadena Vice Mayor Jacque Robinson Biesley; community organizer Toni Bailey-Raines of Altadena Talks; and Dr. William Syms, vice president of student services at West LA College.

Farr’s weekly program has become a platform for tracking Altadena’s recovery and amplifying survivor voices.

Organizers say the town hall will continue to serve that mission, with or without Edison’s participation.