NEWS stories


Still having home insurance problems? Need mental health services? This Altadena group wants to help

  • 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.

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Residents in Need, Government Efram Potelle Residents in Need, Government Efram Potelle

As deadlines loom, fire survivors call for more mortgage help

Fire survivors are calling for longer timelines on mortgage forbearance and better policy to stop credit hits as the expiration of mortgage protections looms nearly a year after the most destructive fires in L.A. County history.

After the Eaton and Palisades fires, hundreds of mortgage companies promised to let borrowers delay their monthly payments for 90 days. In September those protections were extended and enhanced when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 238 into law. That allowed survivors to request forbearance for up to 12 months, without requiring full repayment at the end of the forbearance period.

Ever since, fire survivors have said some mortgage lenders are not adhering to those rules.

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Fire Response, Government Efram Potelle Fire Response, Government Efram Potelle

Newsom, seeking federal funds for L.A. wildfire recovery, is denied meeting with key Trump officials

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom was on Capitol Hill on Friday renewing calls for $33.9 billion in federal aid for Los Angeles fire recovery.

  • FEMA denied Newsom’s meeting request, underscoring political tensions surrounding California’s disaster recovery appeal following the January fires.

  • The governor criticized the Trump administration for stalling on a recovery proposal, despite bipartisan congressional support for long-term funding

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California is drafting new rules for wildfire smoke cleanup. Are home insurers calling the shots?

As the Los Angeles wildfires died out in January, firefighters trekked through the burn zones to take stock of the destruction. For every home they found leveled, they counted another still standing. The structures looked fine from the outside, but ash and oily soot often coated the floors and furniture, while invisible chemicals burrowed into clothes, blankets and even walls. 

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