Some homeowners in areas of California with high wildfire risk could eventually get money for new roofs or to build fire-resistant zones around their properties under a new state law that went into effect Friday.

The Safe Homes grant program is designed to help low- and middle-income homeowners with fire mitigation. People who qualify could use grants to create 5-foot ember-resistant zones around properties, also known as Zone Zero, as required by law in some areas. The program will also contribute toward costs for fire-safe roofs.

A banner calling for an investigation into the Eaton Fire response from Los Angeles County officials was briefly spotted at the Rose Parade in Pasadena on Thursday. Tom Wait speaks with the people behind the statement and what they hope to change with their call to action.

• State regulators ordered Edison to assess fire risks on 355 miles of unused transmission lines, including the century-old equipment suspected of igniting the Eaton fire.

• Edison must create a plan to address those idle lines, potentially including removal, marking the first major regulatory action related to electric infrastructure after the fire killed 19 people.

• Regulators are requiring other California utilities to take similar actions with their dormant transmission lines.

State regulators ordered Southern California Edison to identify fire risks on its unused transmission lines like the century-old equipment suspected of igniting the devastating Eaton wildfire.

• Federal oversight reports allege that the main contractor hired to clean up the Eaton and Palisades fires may have illegally dumped toxic ash, reused contaminated soil and cut corners.

• Inspectors documented crews moving fire debris onto neighboring properties, burying ash and burned materials to avoid full removal, re-contaminating “cleared” lots and spraying polluted water into storm drains.

• Despite warnings about lead and other toxins, FEMA refused to fund post-fire soil testing. State agencies are noncommittal about how they will handle such testing in the future.

The primary federal contractor entrusted with purging fire debris from the Eaton and Palisades fires may have illegally dumped toxic ash and misused contaminated soil in breach of state policy, according to federal government reports recently obtained by The Times.

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.”

• A blistering Times investigation found that the Fire Department cleaned up its after-action report, downplaying missteps.

• The LAFD cannot be trusted to honestly and thoroughly investigate itself.

Nearly a year after California’s Eaton Fire, some survivors say their homes look untouched but are contaminated by toxic smoke and ash. As Southern California Edison faces scrutiny over the fire’s cause, families are weighing settlement offers against the mounting costs of cleanup and long-term health risks.

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.

Pasadena Unified School District said new soil testing at San Rafael has confirmed the need for soil removal and replacement after City of Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) county-recommended post-Eaton Fire sampling found lead at concentrations exceeding Department of Toxic Substances Control screening levels in two Pasadena communities within district boundaries, according to information the district released Friday.

The district said the additional testing followed Los Angeles County Department of Public Health soil sampling results. Pasadena Unified conducted additional soil testing across all campuses, and initial testing at San Rafael identified areas of soil requiring additional assessment within the play field and two planter areas along the north and east boundaries of the school.

• The Times obtained seven drafts of the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades fire.

• Deletions and revisions in the drafts amounted to an effort to downplay the failures of city and LAFD leadership.

• The most significant edits involved the LAFD’s deployment decisions before the fire, as the wind warnings became increasingly dire.

• Edison failed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars authorized for transmission line maintenance and upgrades before January’s fires while continuing to bill customers for the work.

• Edison’s aging transmission lines are suspected of igniting two January fires, including the Eaton fire that killed 19 people and destroyed over 9,000 homes in Altadena.

• After the fires, Edison accelerated repairs. It denies it fell behind on maintenance.