The L.A. Sentinel Wildfire Recovery Conference on March 29 provided information, resources, and most of all, encouragement for Altadena community members who lost homes and businesses or incurred damages or injury due to the Eaton Fire.
The brainchild of Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., the daylong event included a continental breakfast and lunch as well as childcare to help attendees focus on the wealth of expertise to aid in putting their lives back together. Breakout rooms provided one-on-one access for attendees to the agencies and nonprofits represented at the conference.
The conference was sponsored by Bank of America, BMO, Chase, Wells Fargo, AirBNB, the Brotherhood Crusade, The Bakewell Company, Community Build, Inc., Comerica Bank, Ivie, McNeill, Wyatt, Purcell & Diggs; the Los Angeles Urban League, South Coast Air Quality Management District, SEIU 721, Southern California Edison, First 5 California, CBS2/KCAL9, 94.7 – The WAVE; Mothers in Action, KJLH -102.3;, Wellnest, Black Education Expo, Compass Real Estate, Pasadena NAACP, USC Mindfulness, the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Among the dignitaries at the conference were Cynthia Mitchell-Heard, president and CEO Los Angeles Urban League; Major General Jason E. Kelly, deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Eric S. Smith, vice chair, BMO Commercial Bank. KCAL 9 anchor Pat Harvey served as emcee for the daylong event, held at the Pasadena Hilton, with an invocation by Pastor Kerwin Manning of Pasadena Church.
Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., executive publisher of the Sentinel and owner of The Bakewell Company, and his son, Bakewell Jr., shared their personal experience with the Altadena wildfires that claimed the homes of four family members.
“We are no longer… fire victims, we are fire survivors,” said Bakewell Jr., who serves as executive editor of the Sentinel and president of the Bakewell Company.
“Your presence speaks volumes, not just about the loss we’ve all felt, but the hope we hold and the strength of our community. Not all of these conversations are going to be comfortable, but they will be honest and hopefully, they will provide you with the tools and information you can use to make informed decisions about how you choose to make the next step that is in the best interest of you and your family.”
Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., Sentinel executive publisher and board chairman of the Brotherhood Crusade, noted that surviving the wildfires “reignited a desire in the community to regenerate itself.”
“We’re so honored to be a part of that,” he said. “Hopefully, we can give you a glimmer of hope … that will show you the way to get your life back on track. Everybody in this room is so resilient, we have no doubt that you will get there.”
The Brotherhood Crusade has raised more than $600,000 to aid those impacted by the wildfire and with Cedric the Entertainer and Glendale Fiat, recently gave 10 cars away to people who lost their cars in the disaster.
Brotherhood Crusade also recognized the need for ready cash for day-to-day expenses and at the conference, Pamela Bakewell and Brandi Bakewell presented fifty $500 American Express gift cards to people chosen at random.
A panel discussion focused on the collaborative efforts of government and nonprofits to assist those impacted by the fires from day one, including perspectives from California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (5th District); L.A. County Assessor Jeffrey Prang; Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency; and Christoph Gorder, executive director, Airbnb.org.
Lt. Gov. Kounalakis said that while about $2 billion has been distributed and that the state legislature allocated $2.5 billion to supplement federal aid, “Accessing that money, for many people, is still very, very difficult.”
She emphasized that homeowners’ situations are different, depending on their insurance status, and urged the audience to go to the state’s website, https://www.ca.gov/lafires/, to learn what resources are available to them. Kounalakis also noted that for California, “… these fires are here to stay.”
“There are many things we can do to partner with communities to make them [fire] resistant, so that when Altadena is back up and families are back in, … the magnitude of a catastrophe like this will never happen again,” she said.
Gorder recounted the efforts of Airbnb.org, which partnered with 211 LA to monitor and fires when they broke out on Jan. 7. By 8 a.m. on Jan. 8, the nonprofit was able to issue Airbnb credits to evacuees to book their stays near their workplace, with disabled accessibility, or near schools and extended family.
“We partnered with a trusted local nonprofit that understands the community and that the community trusts,” said Gorder. “They were able to identify multiple families and give them credits so they could book whatever Airbnb works for them.”
Supervisor Barger described the efforts of the county’s Department of Economic Opportunity to provide aid between $15,000 to $50,000. When applications exceeded the monies, the program was extended for a second round.
“We are continuing to invest, as much as we can, resource-wise, back into the community,” said Barger. “There’s a reason why people say, ‘Altadena is not for sale,’ because their biggest fear is that speculators are going to … buy it up and change what I would argue makes Altadena so amazing, and that is the people.”
Secretary Moss spoke about the fires’ impact on renters, and the need for mixed-use properties, with density that would offset the costs for future development of the area.
“Eighty-two percent of Altadena homeowners were African American, and I think that means something, in this day and age,” said Moss.
“We want to be really thoughtful about [creating] the mix of housing types that will revive the vibrancy and heritage of Altadena while making sure that if you are a renter, you have a place to return to as well.”
Prang provided vital but little-known knowledge about making sure inherited properties have the current owner’s name on the deed – the absence of which would disqualify them for aid – and urged homeowners to visit the County Assessor’s website to change their mailing addresses and to apply for misfortune and calamity tax relief.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman spoke about the far-reaching range of scams that prey on homeowners and other fire survivors, including fake contractors, fraudulent lending programs, and price gouging by hotels and landlords. He said that law enforcement is using AI to track patterns created by defrauders who would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Legal expertise was provided by Byron Purcell of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs, who spoke of his firm’s deep experience with public utilities cases, and Taras Kick from The Kick Law Firm, who described his firm’s expertise in class action suits.
A banking panel moderated by Robert Sausedo, CEO, Community Build, Inc. shared financial expertise from Raul Anaya, president and co-head, Business Banking, Bank of America; Alice Juarez, regional branch network executive, Wells Fargo; Gentry Ficke, managing director and regional director of Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co.; and Clifford Rooke, managing director, BMO US. Topics included saving liquid cash for day-to-day needs such as temporary housing, being vigilant of predatory loans, and using short-term forbearance to get a handle on mortgage payments and credit card debt.
Yvonne Scaggs, who has lived in Altadena since 1987, said that she attended the conference for information on rebuilding her home. While her greatest immediate need is a new car, she has since January, received payment from her insurance company and had her property cleared of debris.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at the FEMA disaster center on Woodbury,” said Scaggs. “Everybody has done an incredible job. There are hitches and glitches, but to me, it has been run like a well-oiled machine.”
A retired computer programmer, Scaggs has served as a foster parent since 1991.
“Last month, one of my previous teen boys took me to brunch, him and his girlfriend,” she said. “Afterwards, we came to the property. He looked around and said, ‘I’m sorry you lost your home.’ I said, ‘It was your home too. If there’s one thing I can say is, the house served its purpose.’”
“I plan on rebuilding,” said Scaggs. “I don’t know where that will lead me, but that’s my plan. I understand people who don’t feel they’re in a position to rebuild. Some have health issues; it might be an age-related thing. I’m 76, so there’s a question mark in my mind: am I going to see this to completion? I’m going to give it a shot.”
