Eaton Fire Survivors Rally for CARE Fund

More than 100 Eaton Fire survivors, community leaders, and advocates traveled by bus to Sacramento to demand a $25 million Community Aid for Rebuilding and Equity Fund (the CARE Fund) to cover rebuilding gaps for low-income homeowners and to preserve affordable housing for displaced renters and workers. The campaign is led by the Dena Rise Up Coalition and supported by local lawmakers and groups including the NAACP Pasadena Branch, with Senator Sasha Renée Pérez championing the fund. Organizers say the CARE Fund would fill a critical gap—potentially covering two to $300,000 shortfalls and remediation costs—and could also support land-banking to keep affordable housing in Altadena. Survivors stressed that grants, not loans, are needed to return home, citing lost homes, jobs, and personal property in the January Eaton Fire that destroyed thousands of structures and killed several residents. The push underscores ongoing post-disaster recovery needs as California’s budget discussions proceed, with organizers framing CARE Fund as essential to preventing permanent displacement and accelerating rebuilding efforts.