January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and You Can Help

Human traffickers take advantage of disasters and the rebuilding process. You can help stop them. Human trafficking is a serious crime that exploits individuals often through force, fraud, or coercion. Exploitation has many forms including but not limited to sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and domestic servitude, often occurring out of public view and affecting people of all ages, genders, or backgrounds. If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, call 2-1-1 for local assistance or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. For emergencies, call 9-1-1.

DPSS Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

DPSS is committed to helping noncitizen victims through the Trafficking and Crime Victim Assistance Program who are victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes. Visit your local district office for help or learn more about DPSS programs at Department of Public Social Services. If you suspect a child is being victimized, call 911 or the L.A. County Child Protection Hotline at 1-800-540-4000.

Protect Your Property from Debris Flow and Mudslides Post Fire

Per the LA County website, after any significant wildfire involving mountains, canyons, foothills, and similar areas, there will be increased risks during heavy rainstorms of debris flows, rockslides, mudslides, and flooding for up to five years, whether or not the wildfire reached residential areas. This is primarily because it takes soil and vegetation conditions time to recover. That's what puts downhill and downstream areas at increased risk. For this storm or any significant storm, all residents are encouraged to:

• Avoid unnecessary travel.

• If driving is necessary, allow for extra time and drive cautiously, treating any intersection with traffic signals that have stopped operating or are flashing red as a four-way stop.

• Find the nearest sand and sandbag distribution site here.

• Have an emergency plan in place that is easy for all family members to understand.

• Monitor radio and TV news closely for information about weather conditions and flooding in their area.

• Be prepared to leave immediately if an evacuation is ordered. Have alternate evacuation routes out of the neighborhood.

• Identify important items ahead of time to take if evacuating (e.g., photos, important documents, medications, and other essential items for family and pets).

• Stay away from downed power lines.

• Stay away from flood control channels, catch basins, canyons, and natural waterways which are vulnerable to flooding during periods of heavy rain.

• Don't attempt to cross flooded areas and never enter moving water on foot or in a vehicle.

• If you see someone who has been swept into moving water, do not enter the water and attempt a rescue. Immediately call 9-1-1 and, if possible, throw a rope or some type of flotation device to them.

Visit here and here for rainstorm safety tips for burn-scar–affected residents.
Sign up here for county related safety alerts or download the Genasys Alert mobile app here to view your evacuation status.

Lack of Required Lead and Asbestos Testing Undermines Rental Housing Habitability Program and Recovery

EFRU has learned the Rental Housing Habitability Program (RHHP) is significantly weakened by the Department of Public Health’s failure to require testing for lead and asbestos—the only two contaminants with established EPA thresholds that clearly determine whether licensed abatement contractors are legally required. While many other contaminants of concern may be present after a wildfire, identifying lead and asbestos above threshold is critical because it dictates the scope of work, contractor qualifications, and regulatory oversight needed to remediate a property properly. When Public Health does not require this testing, landlords are able to rely on combustion byproduct testing and be limited to cleaning rather than true abatement, making it far more difficult for rental units to achieve legitimate clearance and safely return to occupancy. Despite these shortcomings, EFRU strongly encourages tenants to file complaints with the Rental Housing Habitability Program so their health concerns are formally documented and remain on record. View the RHHP notice here with information on how to file a complaint re contamination concerns. The deadline to file a contamination concern under the RHHP with Dept of Public Health is only days away: 12/31/25. If filed before the end of 2025, your landlord will be required to take action in the new year, but there is no requirement that they test for lead and asbestos.

PUSD Soil Cleanup Planned at San Rafael; Other Campuses Unaddressed

Pasadena Unified School District announced that post–Eaton Fire soil testing at San Rafael Elementary confirmed lead contamination above state screening levels, requiring removal and replacement of roughly 2,000 cubic yards of soil—up to four feet deep in some areas—with work planned under DTSC oversight to begin in June 2026 and finish by August 2026. In May 2025 the Department of Public Health announced eleven PUSD campuses were found to have contaminated soil due to the Eaton Fire impacts. There has been no word from PUSD what the plans are for the soil on the other ten campuses in the district. Read the Pasadena Now article here.

Recording of the EFRU Speaker Event, Indoor Contamination Levels After Remediation - A Study of Community Test Submissions to EFRU

On 11/19 Dr Nicole Maccalla, faculty in the Rossier School of Education at USC and the Director of Evaluation and Improvement for SC CTSI, and EFRU Director of Data Science & Educational Outreach, shared the latest results on indoor contamination levels after remediation, providing a deeper understanding to the new EFRU Post Remediation Contamination Map. Topics included how much wildfire debris, asbestos, lead, and other heavy metals are being found in homes after clean up, highlighting the need for comprehensive testing and "Clearance Before Occupancy."
Watch the recording here.

Important Storm Precautions for Burn-Scar Areas

Any burn scar area from wildfires that occurred within the previous five years may experience debris flows, rockslides, mudslides, and increased flooding.
For storm prep resources visit ready.lacounty.gov
Sign up for emergency alerts at alert.lacounty.gov
Find sandbags near you at lacounty.pw/sandbags

Immigration Resources from National Day Laborer Organizing Network & CHIRLA

Know Your Rights (English)
Conozca Sus Derechos Basicos (Español)
Immigration Assistance Referral Line: 888-624-4752
Legal Assistance: 213-201-3797

PUSD Still Without Indoor Contaminant Testing 9 Months After Eaton Fire

On 9/30 EFSN featured an interview with PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco and School Board President Jennifer Hall Lee; the recording can be viewed here. When asked why PUSD schools have yet to receive indoor contaminant testing, Superintendent Blanco responded that they are following the protocols set by their insurance provider and are in correspondence with the EPA and DTSC, framing it as a matter beyond her control. Yet LAUSD did a full array of indoor testing in February 2025 for schools adjacent to the Palisades Fire. 

Superintendent Blanco went on to conflate chipped-paint abatement standards with lead-contamination abatement from wildfire. At one point, she stated that because schools have not been permitted to use lead-based paint for some time, the lead levels in school facilities are likely lower than those found in homes in the area impacted by wildfire debris. Nine months after the fire, it should be clear that what causes lead paint hazards and wildfire-deposited lead are fundamentally different, and so are the abatement processes. PUSD schools continue to have no actual indoor contaminant testing since the Eaton Fire. 

Supportive Services and Information for Immigrants in LA County

The L.A. County Department of Consumer & Business Affairs/Office of Immigrant Affairs is offering supportive services for immigrants and their families. Counselors and referrals are available at 320 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. To learn more, visit Know Your Rights Resources for Immigrants in Los Angeles County, or make an appointment at 1-800-593-8222.

Eaton Fire Residents May Lose Out with SCE New Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program

On Wed 7/23, the LA Times reported SCE will launch a Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program this fall for Eaton Fire victims, offering faster claims but not admitting liability yet. Critics warn payments may fall short and urge survivors to get legal advice. Many residents and business owners remain unaware of smoke and ash contamination in their standing structures, risking exclusion of testing and remediation costs from their claims. Read the article here.

Multiple Detections of Airborne Asbestos in Altadena

AQMD has detected airborne asbestos on 5 separate days at multiple locations in Altadena. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Debris crews are required to spray down material to suppress toxins, but rising temperatures increase the risk, and existing dust control has already proven insufficient. EFRU has raised these concerns with the EPA and reported the issue to OSHA, which has yet to respond. If you know someone who’s returned to the burn area, please share this information. Access the AQMD reports and the dates of asbestos detection here.

Know Your Rights Video from Senator Perez

Senator Perez addresses:

• What to do if you're at home, at work, or in public

• What can bystanders do

• What to do if you or a loved one is detained

• Watch the video here.

Recognize the Signs and Report Exploitation, Human Trafficking

Natural disasters, like the recent LA wildfires, create chaos and displacement leaving many people vulnerable to exploitation including human trafficking. People seeking work after a disaster should be cautious about job offers that sound too good to be true. Human traffickers use false promises of high wages and effortless jobs to lure people into dangerous situations. If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, please report it to:
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Text: 233-733 (Be Free) or Phone: (888) 373-7888
And/or
Department of Consumer and Business Affairs' Office of Labor Equity
Email: humantrafficking@dcba.lacounty.gov or Phone: (800) 593-8222

Safety Zone from Abuse & Trafficking

If you (or a young person you know) need help getting away from an abusive situation that involves human trafficking, exploitation, or abuse, then step inside any DPSS office for immediate assistance from trained DPSS Safe Youth Zone Liaisons. Look for the Safe Youth Zone signs outside DPSS offices. Learn more about Safe Youth Zones at Safe

Multiple Detections of Airborne Asbestos in Altadena

AQMD has detected airborne asbestos on 5 separate days at multiple locations in Altadena. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Debris crews are required to spray down material to suppress toxins, but rising temperatures increase the risk, and existing dust control has already proven insufficient. EFRU has raised these concerns with the EPA and reported the issue to OSHA, which has yet to respond. If you know someone who’s returned to the burn area, please share this information. Access the AQMD reports and the dates of asbestos detection here.Youth Zone Conversations Podcasts or click here for a list of DPSS offices.