One year after the Eaton wildfires tore through Eaton Canyon and into Altadena, the scars are still visible and the toll is staggering. Entire blocks remain empty where homes once stood, and the math is brutal: thousands of structures were lost across Los Angeles County and Altadena alone saw over nine thousand buildings razed.
Rebuilding has been painfully slow, with fewer than a dozen houses actually finished so far while hundreds more linger in limbo. Hardworking Americans who lost everything are stuck waiting for insurance checks, permits, and a bureaucratic conveyor belt that moves at a snail’s pace.
It’s galling to watch insurance giants dodge responsibility while victims scrape together savings or walk away from neighborhoods they helped build. State Farm and the California FAIR Plan have been publicly criticized for inadequate payouts, and only after pressure and investigations did any meaningful increases arrive—far too late for many families.
Even worse, credible reporting and witness accounts tied the ignition of the Eaton blaze to utility equipment, and Southern California Edison has faced scrutiny for aging infrastructure and inspection failures. When a private monopoly’s lines are implicated in setting neighborhoods on fire, accountability can’t be replaced by press statements; executives and regulators must be held to account.
The recovery has also exposed stark inequality: wealthy homeowners and outside investors are moving faster to rebuild or buy up lots, while longtime residents—often renters and lower-income families—are left behind. This isn’t sympathy politics; it’s a warning that without clear policy changes the American dream of owning a stable home will be hollow for many in our communities.
Amid the wreckage, however, real heroes still stand tall. Firefighters, deputies, lifeguards, restaurant owners, and neighbors organized relief, donated meals, and produced union-made documentaries and resources to preserve the truth of what happened on the ground. Their sacrifice and elbow grease are the reason so many people survived; they deserve our gratitude and unwavering support.
The path forward should be simple and unapologetic: streamline rebuilding, cut red tape that frustrates honest homeowners, force utilities to modernize and pay for negligence, and empower local communities rather than line the pockets of distant speculators. Washington and Sacramento can throw around sympathy, but real recovery comes when we make people whole again, punish failure where it’s found, and put America’s families first.
