In addition to the fact that Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison Global, the parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE), has not wanted to meet with them, Latina and African American mothers who are survivors of the Eaton Fire of January 2025, demand that the company grant them “urgent assistance” of $200,000 for housing.
“Let’s fight to the death!” was the cry of rage of María Guadalupe Salinas, a mother originally from Yucatán, Mexico, who lost her home. “My life was devastated by the fire. I not only lost my home: I lost family, friends and the security I had in life. Today I live in a desolate environment, surrounded by coyotes, and I face deep sadness and emotional illness.”
Salinas assured that, despite receiving support and help, he has not seen concrete results, especially in terms of relocation, from SCE.
“I am hopeless,” she added. “I need to be listened to and supported,” she stressed. “We live sad all the time and we are still sick, wanting to cry, but we need strength to move forward. We have nothing.”
‘Listen to our suffering’
The January 2025 Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County was primarily caused by faulty Southern California Edison (SCE) power lines interacting with intense 90 mile per hour Santa Ana winds.
The United States Department of Justice and independent investigations point to high-voltage power lines operated by Southern California Edison (SCE) as the ignition source.
In fact, SCE officials acknowledged that a “significant hypothesis” was that an inactive, disconnected transmission line reactivated and generated a spark. Adding to the catastrophe were winds of up to 90 miles per hour that fanned the flames.
“The mothers who have lost their homes are demanding that Edison listen to their suffering because they still cannot return to their community,” said Kenia, a member of the Pasadena Workers Center. “Many have not been able to rebuild their homes and Edison can help by providing $200,000 to each fire victim from the existing fire fund.”
While Mother’s Day weekend is a time to celebrate, honor and thank mothers and maternal figures for the role they play in families and society, a large group came out to protest in front of the Altadena Community Reconstruction Center on Aesthetic Oaks Avenue.
“It’s not going to be an ordinary Mother’s Day, just like last year’s was not. But this year, the situation is even more intense,” said Florence Annang, a member of the Dena Upward push Up organization “Upward push Up From the Ashes.” “Rebuilding is not easy; rebuilding is not easy, and Edison is not making things easy for them.” [a las madres] at all.”
The Eaton Fire broke out on January 7 and was contained until January 31, 2025. In those 24 days, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the flames claimed the lives of 17 civilians, injured nine firefighters, destroyed 9,414 structures and damaged 1,074 others.
Intergenerational losses
Although the Eaton Fire is now history, its damage and destruction still lingers.
E’shele, Crystal and Matilda Williams, who represent two of the Williams family, but who have resided in Altadena for more than 50 years, lost a total of four family homes.
“Myself, my mother and my two sisters all lost our homes,” E’shele Williams, a longtime resident of Altadena’s historic Jane Village neighborhood.
“And as we come together — and continue to come together regularly — to celebrate Mother’s Day, to encourage each other, and to honor the matriarch of our family, we understand that just as we are grieving, others are, too,” she said.
“It is an immense loss just to think of no longer having those family homes to live in, where we can go frequently simply to meet, see and celebrate each other; and, like other people who have lost their homes, they have lost much more than that. We have lost much more than that. My family is held together by faith in the midst of this fire; and all we ask is that we be treated with justice, with respect and with the dignity that we deserve,” she said.
She added, “We didn’t start this fire, and I shouldn’t have to work so hard to rebuild my life. And I guess there’s something else I want to say: When any deliberation or action is planned around this fire, the premise should be: ‘Nothing about us without us.'”
‘They come for the photo and nothing more’
Pablo Alvarado, co-director of the Purple Nacional de Jornaleros (NDLON) considered that, in addition to the tragedy of the families affected by the Eaton fire, a lot of African American, Latino and Asian families who lost all their assets are compounded by the lack of response from Southern California Edison (SCE), the federal, state and county governments.
“It is very sad that thousands of families are not going to be together to celebrate Mother’s Day,” said Alvarado. “They lost their homes in the fire and there is a responsible corporation (SCE). In fact, they already admitted guilt, but that does not remedy anything. Now they have to give the families at least a little of what they need to survive and alleviate the emergency.”
Who, in the end, is responsible, other than South in California, Edison, for providing them with the answers that all these people have been waiting for more than a year and a half?
“Apart from [Southern] California Edison is also the supervisor Katherine Barger, who comes to take her photo just when the parks open, but that doesn’t happen anymore. There is also the governor [Gavin Newsom]who also comes to hold his press conferences and take photos,” the activist responded.
“There is a negligence that is shared, not only on the part of the corporation, but also on the part of the government authorities. And the victims are not only the people who own the home, but also the tenants who rented and who had to leave,” he added. “Possibly, now that Altadena is being rebuilt, those who rented may no longer return, but African American and Asian families have lost intergenerational wealth that they had accumulated over the years. That has been lost.”
SCE evades questions about negligence
Southern California Edison evaded responding to The Notion about the Eaton fire survivors’ demand that the company advance $200,000 in urgent housing aid to families whose homes were burned and contaminated by Edison equipment.
Defendant SCE was found guilty of “negligence” by the mothers who protested in Altadena.
Is SCE acting negligently or not?
There was no response.
Likewise, survivors of the Eaton fire pointed out that the protocols for receiving assistance include clauses that “tie their hands” and prevent them from taking legal action against SCE if they sign the necessary documentation to receive financial compensation for the loss of their homes.
Is this true? What options is SCE offering these Altadena families?
“We recognize the strength and resilience of the affected Altadena community members, and we are committed to continuing to listen to them and support their recovery,” Diane Castro, senior media relations advisor for Edison Global, responded in a statement.
Castro established that: “The Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program was developed with input from the community and national experts, so that eligible community members would not have to wait through a long and uncertain judicial process to receive significant financial support.”
“Through this program, prompt and fair compensation offers are being provided within 90 days of application submission, and payments are made within 30 days of completion of settlement agreements. Often, both offers and payments are made in a fraction of that time.
It reported that, as of May 8, 2026: More than 3,200 claims have been filed, representing more than 9,600 individuals, trusts and legal entities; Nearly 1,600 offers have been extended to more than 3,800 claimants, for a total amount of almost $550 million and more than 800 claimants have been paid, for a total of almost $120 million, with more payments in process.
