Protesters on Friday descended on Southern California Edison’s 24th Annual Black History Month Celebration, demanding that the company’s CEO, who was speaking inside, do more to bolster the company’s relief to families whose Pasadena and Altadena homes were destroyed or damaged by the Eaton fire.
Many protesters, part of Dena Rise Up, a coalition of Altadena and Pasadena local non-profit and grassroots organizations, gathered at SCE’s entrance gated and directed their ire toward the Rosemead-based utility’s Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.
They demanded a more “inclusive” reconstruction of Altadena and Pasadena, which along with Sierra Madre saw more than 9,000 structures destroyed by the deadly fire, which also claimed 19 lives.
In particular, many said that while there is no shame in the need to take the money, they are concerned that by taking it, they waive their right to any health claims that could pop up in the future that could come out of litigation.
They also demanded an Urgent House Relief Program, urging SCE to reallocate the $21 billion they received in state-allocated fire relief funds and instead provide survivors with $200,000 to prevent temporary displacement.
SCE says its compensation program aims to compensate survivors, though it requires survivors to waive their litigation against the company over its equipment’s possible role in igniting the catastrophic blaze.
But critics, including those gathered outside the SCE Energy Education Center in Irwindale on Friday, said it does not go far enough in making survivors whole.
“You cannot poison a community and then ask it to waive future health claims,” Eaton Fire survivor Charles Thomas criticizes Edison’s Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, saying in a written statement ahead of the protest that it pressures survivors to accept less than they are owed and sign away legal rights, including future health claims. “Celebrations are easy. Accountability is harder. If Pedro Pizarro can host this event, he can face the families his company displaced.”
Pizarro was among a series of guest speakers at the annual Black History Month event that included Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, Natalie White, vice president of community relations for the LA Sparks and Brian E. Kennedy, senior pastor at Mt. Zion Church in Ontario. All are Black leaders in their communities.
Pizarro acknowledged the protesters outside the event during his remarks.
“We respect that, we appreciate that, but I really respect that all of you chose to come in the room and be part of the conversation,” Pizarro said of the guests who were in the room.
But survivors and protesters said their rally, at this particular event, was underpinned by a singular question: “If Edison can celebrate Black resilience, why is it refusing to keep Black families housed?” the coalition said in a statement.
From its founding in 1887 through the 1920s, Black Americans settled in Altadena from Georgia, Texas, and other states, establishing generational legacies that remain today.
Altadena’s large Black population grew more in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of redlining in Pasadena. Their descendants stayed, and the Black home ownership rate in Altadena was almost double the national average, by the time of the fire.
Advocates and survivors want to hold on to that kind of ownership in the area, but are concerned about being priced out, because of the costs of construction, gaps in insurance coverage, and just the sheer emotional strain that many survivors continue to grappled with.
By 9 a.m., a small coalition of 30 protesters led by Dena Rise Up had formed at the center’s gate.
In addition to organizers, six fire survivors who lost homes or family members in the Eaton Fire also spoke about navigating their financial and housing situation without immediate financial support from SCE.
Survivor Zaire Calvin’s sister, Evelyn McClendon, died in the fire. He called survivors’ housing insecurity “hell on Earth” and brought out his 85-year-old mother’s eviction notice.
“We’re asking for stabilization,” Calvin said. “$200,000 is nothing compared to the $21 million that [Edison International CEO and President Pedro Pizarro] makes.
Southern California Edison released broader statement on the coalition’s demands.
“We certainly recognize the challenges and struggles that everyone, anyone that was affected by the fire has faced throughout 2025 and now into 2026,” SCE spokesperson Scott Johnson said. “Which is why Southern California Edison did launch the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program … We want to be a part of the recovery and the rebuild for the community. We are striving for final settlements, so that the community members really can move on.”
Friday’s event follows a week in which the giant utility came under heightened scrutiny for its role in the recovery.
Pizarro has said that the company’s equipment might likely be at the root of how the fire was ignited, though the company has sued L.A. County and other local agencies it believes bears responsibility for the blaze.
This week, the company acknowledged in financial filings that the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office has launched a probe into any possible criminal liability on the part of SCE.
And while the the company on Wednesday announced increases in its profits in 2025 over the previous year, it also said it was reducing the bonuses to several of its executives, including Pizarro, and giving $2 million to the Pasadena Community Foundation to support recovery.
But critics among survivors say measures such as the bonus reductions are just symbolic gestures for a giant company that can afford to provide more direct help, given its equipment’s potential role in the fire.
Other demands included covering “The Gap” for total and partial loss households regardless of insurance or current litigation or settlement; Repairing community-level damage and establishing a Community Preservation and Wellness Fund, managed transparently by a locally elected board; and providing advanced support to vulnerable survivors, like those who’ve lost loved ones, seniors or disabled survivors.
Another survivor, Felicia Ford, moved to Altadena with her disabled daughter, Faith, six months before the Eaton Fire. For her, the $200,000 would cover necessities she can’t fully cover with her insurance claim, like her daughter’s gait trainer.
“We have elected officials who have made a career out of getting photo ops, and they’ve not done anything beyond that,” Ford said. “What’s wrong with saying ‘We got this wrong, but we want to make this right?’”
At the onset of the protest, Irwindale Police arrived and informed Organizer Heavenly Hughes that protesters couldn’t park in SCE’s private lot.
Throughout her time speaking, Hughes led crowd chants, “We’re not buying it!”
“This Black History Month, we are a resilient people and we want to make it clear: Black History Month is not just a season for corporate PR,” Hughes said. “Let’s take action now to secure the future of Altadena’s Black community.”
Officers remained in the lot for the entirety of the demonstration; according to an SCE spokesperson, Edison did not call the police.
“While they’re in here, celebrating, we’re homeless,” Hughes said.
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