One week after losing their homes to a devastating fire driven by hellacious winds, Altadena residents now begin the long process of rebuilding their lives.
The Eaton Fire began on Jan. 7 and has killed 16 people and burned more than 14,000 acres and obliterated the community, leaving thousands displaced or homeless.
To make matters worse, now they face additional fears.
Many believe big developers and predatory realtors will prey on those who lack insurance and financial means to seize the land which will lead to changes in their beloved community.
“Altadenans from all over town are expressing concern about developers who are already contacting home and business owners about their properties,” said Monica Hubbard. “We love our town deeply. We are committed to restoring our town and finding ways to preserve the rich and highly-valued diversity of our community. Conversations are taking place about establishing a Community Land Trust and Community Co-Housing to help those who have lost everything, especially neighbors who have lost generational wealth. I hope and pray that the CLT and CCH efforts will come to fruition as soon as possible. We’re in this together.”
That community of 44,000 was known for its diversity and generational wealth. Many of the homes lost had been handed down over several generations.
People of color make up more than half of the town’s population, with Latinos making up 27% and Black Americans 18%.
Altadena was one of the few communities offering housing and loans to Black Americans during the Civil Rights Movement despite efforts and covenants by longtime White residents not to sell their property to African Americans.
The community played key roles in the elevation of Black people. First it became a refuge for Black people who fled the Jim Crow south during the great migration.
But there was also a west coast migration of Black families that moved to the area from Los Angeles following the Watts Riots in the 60s.
In both cases, Black families were seeking a better life away from racism and discrimination.
A short time later, the Pasadena Unified School District — which includes Altadena — became the first school District west of the Mississippi to implement busing under a court order.
Sadly some of those schools, Eliot Arts Magnet, Noyes Primary Schools and others, were destroyed in the fire.
But that’s not the town’s only connection to the battle for equality.
Owen Brown, John Brown’s only surviving son in the raid on Harper’s Ferry, made his way to Altadena where his brother Jason lived after escaping on the Underground Railroad.
John Brown hoped to end slavery by creating an army of freed Black people. Brown and his sons did free some slaves, but the army never materialized and the family took refuge at Harper’s Ferry, an armory in Harpers Ferry, Va.
Owen is buried on a mountain in Altadena.
Other Civil Rights stalwarts like Ellen Garrison Clark were buried in the Mountain View Cemetery.
“The challenge will be to rebuild one of the only diverse middle class communities left in California, saving its special qualities in an environment where gentrification and white generational wealth is dominant,” said Filmmaker and lifeline Altadena resident Pablo Miralles.
According to Steve Lamb, former Altadena Town Councilman, he’s already received three phone calls offering him “fair” payment for his land.
“The vultures are circling already,” Lamb told Pasadena Now on Wednesday. “Already I’ve gotten two texts and one phone call offering to give me a ‘fair price’ for my land. There is no fair price for the last hope of returning to something like home once was. There is no price anyone can pay me for that Altadena community.”
People recovering from the deadly 2023 fire in Maui had a similar experience.
The fires killed 115 people and destroyed Lahaina. Almost immediately residents of that town began receiving solicitations from off-island real estate investors to scoop up their land.
Local authorities were forced to take action to protect residents from the predatory offers.
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to protect victims of the firestorm — including Altadena residents — from predatory land speculators making aggressive and unsolicited cash offers to purchase their property.
“As families mourn, the last thing they need is greedy speculators taking advantage of their pain. I have heard first-hand from community members and victims who have received unsolicited and predatory offers from speculators offering cash far below market value — some while their homes were burning. We will not allow greedy developers to rip off these working-class communities at a time when they need more support than ever before.”
Justin Chapman, the youngest person to ever serve on the Altadena Town Council, said the District he once represented has been wiped off the map.
“My family lost two homes, two cars, and just about everything else in the Eaton Fire,” Chapman said. “Others lost more than that, including their lives. I know nothing lasts forever, but the pain is intense, and seems to grow more acute as time goes on. But while we may have lost the community—the physical spaces, the neighborhoods—we didn’t lose our community. In crises like these, you see the worst of people but you also see the best of people. We’re grateful for all the love and support that many people have offered. We hope that support will continue, because the impacts of this disaster are going to be felt on an individual, familial, and community level for a long, long time. Things will never be the same again, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to retain Altadena’s unique, small-town charm as we work to rebuild.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area has also pledged to support efforts to rebuild. But some local residents are not convinced by the words of the politicians.
“My biggest fear going forward is the County,” Lamb said.
“Already some County officials and one Altadena Town Councilman are talking about imposing costs like ‘fire hardening’ rebuilt Altadena homes and increasing setbacks. We are all already underinsured. Imposing additional costs and setbacks will make rebuilding impossible for most of our community. The long trail to get building department approval will drive up people’s costs for alternate lodging beyond insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency help. We need the same 90 approval process the big affordable housing contractors are getting. All permit fees must be waved. This fire was a failure of government. The building department shouldn’t get a bonanza out of it.”
But even with those fears, the spirit that made the town great continues to exist.
“I want the community and the world to know that we are Altadena Strong, and that we ‘will rebuild!,” said Community Activist Rene Amy. “We will not go gentle into that good night! The community can’t just let bureaucrats dictate our future, and we cannot expect a handful of folks and committees to get the job done. If we are going to avoid becoming just another SoCal cookie-cutter community, everyone needs to get involved. It’s critical that Altadena rebuilds to be more resilient, but also that it remains the eclectic, artistic, diverse, and delightful little backwater community that it was before the disastrous events of the last few days. I’m fully committed to this, and I hope that our community rallies behind this.”