Out of options, some Altadena residents return to smoky homes that lack utilities

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know:

• Their homes survived the Eaton fire, but they’re still struggling.
• L.A. approves the first permits for rebuilding homes after the Palisades fire.
• MLB suspends Julio Urías for a second violation of the league’s policy against domestic violence.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

Their homes survived the fire, but life is still difficult for these Altadena locals

Rosa Ramirez is one of many Altadena residents who seemed fortunate, at first. Her apartment complex was spared from the destruction of the Eaton fire.

The blaze claimed nearly half of all properties in the city. That includes nearly 4,900 single-family homes, 1,800 duplexes and bungalows and more than 200 apartment units, according to the L.A. County assessor.

Ramirez and her family had been staying in hotels since being evacuated during the Jan. 7 blaze. Yet their return home last week wasn’t triumphant — it had more to do with running out of resources.

My colleagues Ruben Vives and Andrea Castillo documented the situation of Ramirez and other fire survivors who moved back into inhospitable and, in some cases, damaged homes that lacked basic utilities.

Why are so many returning?

Ramirez’s apartment complex was deemed “uninhabitable” by an insurer, but she felt as though she had no choice but to return.

Last month, Homewell Insurance Service wrote to FEMA, saying that tenants couldn’t return for at least 60 to 90 days.

Still, about 60 people are living at the 47-unit complex, said Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which recently began to assist the tenants.

Alvarez told The Times that these families don’t have the credit history or proof of income necessary to rent elsewhere. Others were initially sent to FEMA-approved hotels that were too far away from their jobs.

Residents say their rent ranges from $1,700 to $2,400 a month. Ramirez says she’s out of money to stay at hotels and has struggled to find similarly priced apartments.

What are conditions like at the complex?

Several families have been living in the complex for weeks, if not months. They say they have no gas to cook with or to warm up bath water. Others say parts of one building have been without electricity, while power outages are common throughout.

Some people say they need smoke remediation, while at a least a few say they’re living with holes in their ceilings left by firefighters.

Many families are also afraid of the environmental and health risks of living in a complex surrounded by destroyed homes, burned-out carports and damaged vehicles that could spread asbestos and lead.

Tenants also say that their two-story beige-and-brown stucco complex is surrounded by piles of debris and are asking for L.A. County officials to remove it.

Ramirez’s ceiling is smoke-stained, and she spends portions of her day separating clothing, bedding and other items into those that are salvageable and those that must be tossed out.

Residents have claimed that when they asked the apartment’s managers, Regency Management Inc., to make repairs, they faced retaliation, including power shutoffs.

Regency pushes back against allegations

Regency’s legal consultant, Jesus Carillo, said building management has reached out to various agencies to restore services. He also disputes any form of retaliation.

“We expedited all deposits and monies paid for the month if residents elected to move out,” Carrillo told The Times. “Although some residents are occupying the units, we have not charged rent and did not make a demand for such.”

He said the management group was working to restore power lost due to a damaged electric line. He added that management was waiting for clearance from county officials before restoring gas service.

What’s next?

Property management posted a note on some doors that said cleaning efforts would begin March 7, exactly two months after the Eaton fire ignited.

Carrillo told The Times that at least 42 units have been cleaned as of Wednesday, with three more scheduled to be completed in the coming days. The units were also slated to be cleared by a licensed environmental firm.

Carrillo said the management company filed a permit with the county to remove carpet debris. He said he’s hoping the EPA will also approve the removal of an electric vehicle from the property that poses a hazard due to its battery.

For more on the situation, please check out the full article here.

The week’s biggest stories

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles fire recovery

• In a milestone, L.A. approves the first permits for rebuilding homes after the Palisades fire.
• The DWP has fixed the vast majority of fire hydrants flagged for repairs last year.
• This bladesmith forges custom knives with “soul,” even after the Eaton fire burned his home.

Crime, courts and policing

• Mother is charged with murdering her son in an O.C. hotel after three days at Disneyland.
• Illegal homemade fireworks suspected in Pacoima explosion that displaced dozens of families, police say.
• Man suspected of pointing gun at LAPD helicopter is arrested.
• Convicted murderer kills wife during conjugal visit in Northern California prison, officials say.
• L.A. man stabbed, shot and pushed off cliff lives to testify about alleged cartel hit.

Trump policies, appointees and reactions

• What we know about the Venezuelan nationals detained and transported to an El Salvador prison.
• Trump administration ends funding for legal representation of 26,000 migrant children.
• Trump-appointed judge dissents in California ammo case with gun-filled YouTube video.

More big stories

• L.A. City Council seeks crackdown on the N-word and C-word at meetings.
• George Foreman, boxing legend who fought Muhammad Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle,” dies at 76.
• South Korean family mysteriously disappears on drive from Grand Canyon to Las Vegas.
• AI could take your next drive-through order: Taco Bell parent Yum Brands and Nvidia’s partnership explained.
• Ticket platform StubHub files for IPO.
• Changing your married name? Expect a mound of paperwork.

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Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and long-form journalism. Here’s a great piece from this past week:

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Lately, Seamus Blackley’s office has been partly taken over by a makeshift greenhouse. Around a corner filled with complex tech equipment, a particular tree is likely to catch your eye. That’s because the twisty, spindly room centerpiece with large, pointy, deep green leaves is no ordinary tree. Indeed, this tree doesn’t naturally survive in the climate of Southern California. Blackley, however, wants dozens of them. He is growing cacao trees.

More great reads

• Treasured California dairies to close. Point Reyes locals say it’s conservation gone mad.
• California banned polystyrene. So why is it still on store shelves?
• When my mom died suddenly, there was only one place to mourn: Disneyland.
• Column: Jeff Pearlman goes from sportswriting to throwing fastballs at O.C. politicians.
• Column: Money will be tight. Americans will suffer. Will the top 10% step up?
• Opinion: The chief justice is to blame for the Supreme Court’s free fall.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Gregg DeGuire / Variety via Getty Images)

Going out

• ☕ Actor-director-producer Mark Duplass, star of Hulu’s “Good American Family,” offers up his version of an L.A. Sunday Funday.
• 🍲 Burbank’s famed “Chili John’s” says it may close soon. It’s worth a visit.
• 📽️ Here’s our review of the “The Assessment,” the science fiction baby-planning thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen, now in theaters.
• 🍎 Here’s our review of the much-debated remake of the Brothers Grimm, Disney-modified classic “Snow White.”

Staying in

• 🎂 The second season of the PBS historical drama “Marie Antoinette” debuts Sunday evening with enemies closing in on the famed royal.
• 📖 Krysten Ritter has written another thriller led by a gutsy, feisty female protagonist. Here’s our review of “Retreat.”
• 🧑‍🍳 Nothing hits quite like a hot, hearty bowl of Italian vegetable soup. Here’s our easy and yummy recipe.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

(Leah Han / For The Times)

They had just spent a magical weekend together. Dinner at Bavel, watching Liverpool play, quiet reading. She even enjoyed the thrill of hopping on his motorcycle to pick up pastries. Then he told her, just days before Christmas, that he was “not committed” to her. She hadn’t seen him for two months, then ran into him by chance. Would she go up to him and ask him what happened, or would she move on and never turn back?

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Cindy Chang, city editor

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