Thirteen months after the Eaton Fire, the questions haven’t stopped. How to challenge an insurance denial. Where to find a licensed contractor who isn’t a scam. Whether to rebuild or relocate. On Saturday, a free summit at the Pasadena Convention Center aims to answer as many of those questions as possible in a single day.
“Stronger Together: A Solutions Summit,” organized by the nonprofit Rebuilding California, will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 300 East Green Street. The event offers approximately 13 panels, eight programming tracks, an expo hall and resource fair, hands-on demonstrations, wellness and art therapy stations, live entertainment and food — all at no cost.
The programming spans financial recovery, insurance reimbursement, rebuilding options, permitting, mental health support, wildfire safety and scam prevention. Representatives from the district attorney’s office are scheduled to offer guidance on verifying contractor licenses through the Contractors State License Board.
Nicole Feenstra, who founded Rebuilding California in 2025 after she was displaced from her Altadena home by the Eaton Fire, said the summit grew from a basic need she experienced firsthand.
“The solution summit was born out of a desire to get people in a room to find out where the solutions are,” Feenstra said. “I think that giving people real, practical things they can do to move themselves forward is a way to bring hope.”
Feenstra described Rebuilding California as a communications nonprofit built around simplifying the recovery process. The organization describes itself as one that “bridges the gap between information and action for communities recovering from disaster,” according to its press release.
“I had a friend once who said, if you go to a party and you see something missing, that’s the thing you were supposed to bring,” Feenstra said. “So I knew in my mind that clear messaging and simplification of solutions and showing people where they could go practically was something I could bring to the table.”
Opening the day will feature the Benn Family Band, a multi-generational Altadena family who lost their home in the fire and later performed on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The five-member group, rooted in the community since the 1950s, earned a national audience with their audition performance dedicated to their neighborhood.
“Every time we sing, we’re singing for Altadena,” Loren Benn, a member of the group, said in a 2025 interview.
The summit’s expo hall will connect attendees directly with organizations including the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, United Policyholders, California Fire Safe Council, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, Brookfield Residential, Frontline Wildfire Defense, U.S. Bank, Lendistry and Union Station Homeless Services.
The Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders and Hoopbus will also appear at the event, according to Pasadena Weekly.
The summit is presented in collaboration with LACity.gov, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and The Valley Economic Alliance.
Registration is free and available through Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/e/stronger-together-a-solutions-summit-tickets-1970550420353 or at rebuildingca.org. For more information, call 323-207-6775. Parking is available in the convention center’s subterranean garage, shared with Hotel Dena, with entrances on Euclid Avenue and Marengo Avenue. The daily parking rate is $15 to $20. The venue is a short walk from the Metro A Line’s Del Mar Station.
“I think being involved in the community, having people get together, is key,” Feenstra said. “It’s key to learning. It’s key to healing.”
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
