The author of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse it because of substantial deletions that altered his findings, calling the edited version “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”

Southern California Edison said the first payment in its Wildfire Recovery was made last week, 45 days after the program’s launch on October 29. The program provides compensation to community members directly impacted by the Eaton Fire.

SCE reported that more than 1,500 claims have been submitted. As of Dec. 15, the company listed 1,551 total claims; 3,293 claimants and household members involved; 27 offers extended; and one payment made.

Gabriel Gonzalez, a Southern California native and Eaton Fire survivor had not publicly shared what life has been like for him over the last year, until today.

"I spent probably eight months out of the year in my car, having difficulty finding showers, finding anything," said Gonzalez.

Nearly one year since the Eaton Fire, roughly 80% of families remain displaced. Tuesday, a coalition of survivors, non-profits, and community leaders called on Southern California Edison to further help in housing relief.

Nearly a year after the deadly Eaton fire in Southern California, the first payment from the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program has been made.

In October, Southern California Edison launched the program, which offers to reimburse victims for their losses and provides additional sums for pain and suffering.

SCE did not reveal how much was paid, but the program says it provides 42 months of housing support, covering individuals who lost their single-family homes.

• The Collaboratory, an Altadena disaster relief hub, opened in October to house nonprofits serving fire survivors still rebuilding after January’s Eaton fire.

• The hub consolidates scattered aid for housing, mental health and permitting to address the complex needs survivors face.

• As charitable attention fades, the Collaboratory is a critical lifeline for those still at risk of community displacement.

The first thing you see when you walk into the Collaboratory in Altadena is a wall of devastation. A floor-to-ceiling map of every lot lost to the Eaton fire in January — 9,413 structures. Each marked with a red dot on a grid of streets that have looked like a charred moonscape for 11 months.

The wall is a harrowing depiction of loss in the Eaton fire. But one turn to the right, and hope kicks back in.