A coalition of Altadena and Pasadena residents on Tuesday morning, Dec. 16, urged Southern California Edison to provide financial assistance for housing, as price gouging and financial uncertainty threatens homelessness and displacement nearly a year after the Eaton fire destroyed their homes and thousands of others, they said.
The coalition – Eaton Fire Survivors Network, Eaton Fire Collaborative Leadership Council, Clergy Community Coalition and Altadena Town Council – demanded the Rosemead-based utility “front up to $200,000 per displaced household […] allowing families to remain safely housed while remediation and rebuilding proceed.”
“Nearly 11 months later, families like mine are still displaced and need help to rebuild,” said Altadena resident Damon Blount, one of many speakers in the coalition.
Sasha Renée Pérez listing to Eaton Fire survivors testimonies during California Edison’s call to action press conference at 540 W. Woodbury Avenue in Altadena California on Dec. 16, 2025. (Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)Eight in 10 Eaton Fire families remain displaced with most running out of housing funds, according to research by the nonprofit Department of Angels. Fire survivors say without support from SoCal Edison, families cannot move forward in their recovery while fearing where they will sleep next month.
Coalition leaders said SoCal Edison has liquidity and state-backed protections, while displaced families are running out of options.
SCE would not pay out of pocket for survivors’ housing – rather, the utility would be accessing funding through multi-billion-dollar California’s Wildfire Fund, according to the coaltion.
Eaton Fire Survivors Network Executive Director Joy Chen cited similar instances with Pacific Gas and Electric and San Diego Gas and Electric, where the two “advanced emergency housing relief after fires they caused, even before the Wildfire Fund existed and without guaranteed reimbursement.”
The coalition’s ask of SCE to offer financial relief differs from SCE’s own plan: the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.
According to SCE Spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas, the program – launched in October amid scrutiny over what role, if any, the utility’s equipment may have had in igniting the mammoth blaze – is the quickest path forward for fast and fair payments. In exchange, claimants waive their ability to sue.
“I want to stress that we understand that people and businesses that were impacted by the Eaton Fire are eager to move forward, and our Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program offers a way to help them do that,” Ornelas said. “It offers fair resolutions, fast payments and funds through the program that can be used for interim housing.”
While the utility has not been found liable for the fire, officials have acknowledged that in lieu of other evidence, it’s equipment may have ignited the mammoth fire, believed to have started in the foothills above the unincorporated town.
Ornelas said that SCE also provided quick relief, with more than $1 million in “structured phases for immediate, long-term building efforts.”
SCE’s Public Policy and Corporate Affairs Executive Vice President, Caroline Choi, also affirmed this sentiment in a Nov. 13 email to Chen.
Damon Blount hugging Audra Blount during California Edison’s call to action press conference at 540 W. Woodbury Avenue in Altadena California on Dec. 16, 2025. (Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)Ornelas noted that the final version of the utility’s program increased rental calculations by 17% for its monthly fair rental value — the amount a home could reasonably be rented for each month, if someone else was living in it. If a property was damaged or destroyed, this number helps determine how much a claimant will be paid for the loss of use of the property.
SoCal Edison’s program provides 42 months of housing support, covering individuals who lost their single-family homes. A settlement agreement is required to participate in the program. Once a claim is filed, the company could provide payment within 120 days.
Two analyses conducted by survivor groups claimed that SoCal Edison’s program is not designed to keep families housed or move recovery forward. The reviews concluded that the plan excludes renters, smoke-damaged households and other vulnerable families, relies on pre-fire assumptions that do not reflect a post-fire reality, and provides housing assistance far below current market rents.
According to Chen, SCE’s deal is conditional: families sign legal releases and are asked to give up their right to pursue full compensation for damage to their homes, health, and livelihoods in order to receive help paying rent.
“Nothing in California law requires Edison to impose these conditions,” Chen said. “Decisions about how to support survivors, when to resolve claims, and what costs to seek reimbursement for rest entirely with Edison.”
Blount, who has lived in the area for more than two decades, said “Southern California Edison’s current relief package and settlement offer does not reflect the reality of the total loss.”
State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, D-Pasadena, joined fire survivors for their announcement, backing their demand that housing relief should be separated from compensation.
“There should be no strings attached to providing much-needed emergency housing to Eaton Fire survivors who are still displaced and suffering trauma,” Renee Perez said in a statement. “Emergency housing relief must be kept entirely separate from any settlement process. While SCE’s program includes funds for temporary housing, it’s limited and inadequate. Survivors should never be forced to choose between having a safe place to live and preserving their legal rights.”
It not just Blount’s family that is struggling.
As price gouging continues, insurance coverage typically meant to last multiple years has been depleted in months. Without supplementary financial assistance, many residents are left struggling as prices rise in what has traditionally been an affordable area.
“Rents doubled, and […] families are facing eviction, overcrowding, or living in their cars,” Chen said.
Related Articles
LA County closes grant program, gives out $23.4 million in relief to businesses affected by wildfires For these Eaton and Palisades fire survivors, Rose Parade trip down Colorado Blvd. will be no ordinary ride 5 men charged with felonies for allegedly working as unlicensed contractors in Eaton fire burn-scar area Christmas Tree Lane, Upper Hastings Ranch Light Up, begin their holiday glow in fire-ravaged Altadena, Pasadena A West Altadena family is coming home, keeping generations of family rooted in neighborhoodCity News Service contributed to this report.
Hence then, the article about with winter looming eaton fire survivors demand socal edison provide housing relief was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( With winter looming, Eaton fire survivors demand SoCal Edison provide housing relief )
Also on site :
- Tornado warning issued, and quickly cancelled, over Alhambra
- Governor Hochul: Annual statewide donation drive is complete
- Skier dies in collision with tree at Colorado’s Aspen Mountain, resort officials confirm