A group of more than 100 Eaton Fire survivors, including residents, workers, faith leaders, and community advocates, traveled from Pasadena, California, to Sacramento to pressure state leaders to provide rebuilding help they say families urgently need.
They asked state leaders to commit $25 million to a proposed fund meant to help lower-income homeowners recover after the fire.
Here's what to know
According to Pasadena Now, the Dena Rise Up Coalition promoted the Community Aid for Rebuilding Equity Fund — known as the CARE Fund.
Before leaving for the state Capitol, the coalition organized a bus send-off at the Pasadena Community Job Center on August 18.
Organizers said the fund would help lower-income homeowners rebuild and preserve affordable housing options for renters and working families displaced by the fire.
According to Cal Fire, the Eaton Fire ignited near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive at 6:18 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025. It eventually burned 14,021 acres before full containment, and the agency's incident record lists 9,419 structures destroyed, 1,076 more damaged, and 19 civilian fatalities.
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In Altadena and Pasadena, the burden for many households has continued long after the fire itself. Some families have found that insurance payouts do not cover rebuilding costs, making public assistance a key factor in whether they can return or must leave.
More background
The fund is centered on aid for lower-income homeowners, along with protections meant to keep renters and working families from being permanently displaced.
In communities where aid mainly reaches people who already have access to savings, credit, or strong insurance coverage, recovery can deepen inequality. When residents cannot close the gap between insurance payouts and construction costs, they may be pushed to sell instead of rebuild.
A broader state effort is already under consideration: Gov. Gavin Newsom separately proposed a $100 million disaster rebuilding fund as part of his revised 2026-27 budget.
State fact sheets say that proposal would help homeowners secure construction financing, access low-interest loans, and cut borrowing costs when insurance and other aid are insufficient. The coalition's Sacramento trip adds pressure for a more targeted source of support aimed at families with fewer financial resources.
What's being done?
Among the groups in the coalition are Altadena Rising, the Black Power Network, EFRU, the NAACP Pasadena Branch, LA Voice, POP, the Pasadena Community Job Center, Catalyst CA, End Child Poverty CA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Eaton Fire Collaborative, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, and My Tribe Rise.
The groups say that if rebuilding assistance does not reach lower-income homeowners and displaced renters, disaster recovery could permanently reshape who can still afford to remain in the community.
Coalition spokesperson Florence Annang said, "Recovery cannot be measured by promises. It must be measured by whether families can come home."
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