Senator Demands Edison Provide Housing Aid to Fire Survivors Without Legal Waivers

A California lawmaker is calling on Southern California Edison to stop requiring wildfire survivors to waive their legal rights in exchange for housing assistance.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, who represents Pasadena and the 25th Senate District, urged the utility’s parent company to allocate $2.4 billion for immediate housing relief. The funds would help Eaton Fire victims displaced since January 2025.

The senator criticized Edison International for tying aid to legal waivers. She said survivors cannot make fair decisions while living in unstable conditions.

“Emergency housing relief must be kept entirely separate from any settlement process,” Pérez wrote to SoCal Edison CEO Pedro J. Pizarro.

A Department of Angels survey found 80% of Eaton Fire survivors remain displaced. Families face mounting financial and emotional crises as insurance coverage expires.

Pérez said requiring waivers forces families into decisions made under duress. This undermines fairness and public trust, she wrote.

Other California utilities have provided voluntary aid without requiring legal releases. PG&E and SDG&E offered pre-settlement relief to stabilize communities after major wildfires.

Edison executives acknowledged an idle transmission line may have started the fire. The line had been inactive for 56 years and was unconnected at the time.

Investigations into the cause continue.

Joy Chen, who leads the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, said more than half of displaced families will lose housing coverage within months.

“True accountability for Edison means making sure that families whose homes it contaminated and burned down are safely housed,” Chen said.

Without aid, families must cut back on food, medicine and mental health care to afford housing. Chen thanked Pérez for fighting to keep families housed through winter.