After the Fire: Tenants of Fire-Damaged Altadena Apartments Demand Urgent Action from Landlords and Officials

“We are here to ask for basic empathy for basic necessities—necessities that have been neglected for three months,” said Brenda Lopez, a resident of 403 Figueroa Drive in Altadena, at a press conference held Thursday to demand immediate action on ongoing health and safety hazards in their fire-damaged apartment complex.

Tenants of the fire-damaged building were joined by a host of community organizations, including the Comité de Inquilinos 403, in partnership with the Pasadena Community Job Center and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), along with local allies. 

The tenants, many of them immigrant workers, said they returned to unsafe homes after the Eaton Fire, having no other way, alternatives, and have faced neglect from building management and insufficient cleanup by authorities. 

“We had to go all the way to their office to ask questions, to ask them what their plan was,” Lopez said. “And all we got were circles, questions not answered. False promises.” 

According to Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, the property is owned by SPN Real Estate Holdings LP, of El Monte. It is one of 13 properties the owner owns, but only the company name was listed in a listings search. 

Madera added that several attempts to get answers from SPN were made, but to the best of his knowledge, there has been no response. 

Tenants also cited persistent smoke and ash contamination,a lack of gas and electricity, and poor communication from property management, as key issues. 

Andrea, another Figueroa tenant, shared her experience with her do-it-yourself repairs, saying, “I can’t come back because there’s no gas and electricity for my kids. The walls are burnt. It’s kind of like mold. They’re covered in ash and toxins and one of my children has asthma. It’s not safe for them.

“They gave me paint,” she said, “and told me that I had to take the paint myself and paint over the wall, but I know there were toxins. I don’t know what will happen.” 

The tenants announced six demands—Immediate restoration of basic utilities, including gas and electricity; prioritized cleanup in areas where residents have already returned; and an organized and timely remediation to prevent health risks. 

In addition, the tenants are demanding long-term structural repairs to address pre-existing issues, enforcement of L.A. County tenant protection ordinances, and transparent, centralized communication between management and tenants, facilitated by the Comité de Inquilinos 403. 

One community member, who gave her name only as “Flo,” questioned the lack of accountability, saying, “This is not the way it should be. So who’s to blame? Is it the property managers? Is it the landlords? Whoever it is, we are here today to let them know—enough is enough.” 

NDLON Co-Executive Director Pablo Alvarado also called on local authorities and landlords to act, saying,. “We stand with the Comité de Inquilinos 403 because their demands are not just for basic rights—they are about justice for working families and immigrant communities whose lives have been turned upside down by this fire. The situation is urgent, and both the landlords and local government must act swiftly to clean up these toxic environments and restore safe living conditions.”

As the press conference concluded, community organizer Jose Madera reminded attendees, “Only the village saves the village. Only the people save the people.”