On January 6, LPPI hosted “The Altadena Recovery: Who Gets to Come Back?”, a webinar bringing together researchers and partners on the ground to mark the one-year anniversary of the Eaton wildfire.

LPPI director of research Silvia González and senior research analyst Gabriella Carmona opened the program with their research on Altadena’s housing and small businesses’ ongoing recovery.

Early data used in LPPI analysis shows limited formal exits among families and businesses, but with troubling patterns: seven in ten severely damaged homes, most of which were disproportionately owned by Black families, show no rebuilding progress; investors account for two-thirds of home purchases; and microbusinesses were at least as likely as other businesses to be located on sold parcels, raising concerns about displacement and long-term affordability.

“We approached our analysis on the immediate impact of the fire with an explicit equity lens, asking not just how much damage occurred but also who faced the potential steepest barriers to recovery,” Carmona said. “For many households and business owners, recovery wasn’t just about a couple of repairs – It really meant starting from scratch.”

These inequities were the center of a panel led by Alberto Lammers, LPPI director of communications, featuring four community leaders: Katie Clark, organizer and co-founder of Altadena Tenants Union; Lori Gay, president and CEO of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County; Diana Gonzalez, owner of Altadena small business Cactus Foods; and Joy Chen, executive director of Eaton Fire Survivors Network.

Panelists agreed that the largest obstacle to rebuilding is a lack of accessible funding – whether from the government, philanthropic groups, or insurance companies. Diana Gonzalez described how even when resources were available, the relief information was disorganized and aid applications were time consuming.

“For many people who don’t have the funds, who don’t have the pre-fire wealth, who don’t have those big, huge insurance payouts, we’re seeing trauma compounding every single day,” Chen said.

Narratives around Altadena recovery too often center around properties, not people, Clark said.

Residents who are especially vulnerable yet excluded from the conversation include small businesses, seniors, those with limited English and internet proficiency, and renters, Gay added.

“This idea that somehow, because you don’t own the property you live in, you have less of an investment in your community, you have less of a place in that community, that is absolutely not true,” Clark said.

LPPI will build on these discussions in the coming months with the release of five additional research products – a small business policy toolkit focused on informing small business recovery policies, a policy brief on experiences and needs of outdoor workers, and three briefs that will closely examine how the fire impacted Altadena’s rental market and how different households are faring in recovery.

“We could rebuild Altadena tomorrow and have it look exactly like it did on January 6, a year ago,” Clark said. “But if we don’t have all of us back, all of our neighbors, all of our community members back, what is that? What are we rebuilding? And who are we rebuilding for?”