Topline:
Southern California Edison recently released its payout plan for survivors of the Eaton Fire. As fire survivors navigate their recovery and decide if the program makes sense for them, LAist put together a guide to answer some of the most common questions.
The backstory: We spoke to several lawyers and insurance experts, listened to two town hall meetings and asked Edison questions directly.
Read on ... to get into the details of the compensation program.
Southern California Edison recently released its payout plan for survivors of the Eaton Fire. As fire survivors navigate their recovery and decide if the program makes sense for them, LAist put together this guide to answer some of the most common questions.
We spoke to several lawyers and insurance experts, listened to two town hall meetings and asked Edison questions directly.
Edison said this program can help fill “the gap,” shorthand for the difference between how much survivors get from insurance or otherwise have to rebuild and how much rebuilding actually costs. The program is meant to cover what insurance doesn’t, not to make survivors whole.
Lawyers told LAist the program is likely to pay out less money than litigation, though it could make sense for uninsured or severely underinsured survivors who don’t have the funds or desire to wait through a longer legal process.
Ultimately, experts emphasized, the decision on how to move forward is deeply personal and unique to each survivor’s circumstance.
At a recent town hall, Edison Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said more than 380 claims already have been submitted, with more than 180 in progress. Most survivors who have submitted so far have not used a lawyer, he said.
Edison plans to host more town halls about its compensation program. Check the bottom of this page for the latest dates when they're available.
If you need assistance with submitting a claim, here's how to reach Edison representatives:
Find more details about the program on the company's frequently asked questions page.
Southern California Edison has never provided such a program, and this one is unique among compensation programs in California, which have been carried out by one of the other three major investor-owned utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric, after the 2015 Butte, 2017 North Bay and 2018 Camp fires.
The 2017 and 2018 fires led to PG&E declaring bankruptcy, and the compensation program was administered via a trust. The program, which still is paying out survivors years later, has faced allegations of slow, low payouts and high overhead costs. That funding was limited due to the utility’s bankruptcy, so payouts were capped.
Edison says its program has no cap on payouts. Because the Edison program does not operate through a trust and the utility is not expected to declare bankruptcy, it’s hard to directly compare the programs, experts told LAist.
Edison told LAist the first $1 billion of claims will be paid via the utility’s ratepayer-funded insurance. If claims exceed that amount, the company will seek reimbursement through the state’s Wildfire Fund, which was established in 2019 after the 2017 Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“The program is structured to minimize financial impact to the company while providing meaningful support to those affected,” said Edison spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas in an email to LAist.
State officials warned earlier this year that that $21 billion fund could be drained by costs associated with the Eaton Fire, which are estimated to be as high as $45 billion. In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to expand the fund by $18 billion. The fund had been initially paid for by the utilities’ equity and shareholder earnings, but the new law could allow Southern California Edison to shift billions of dollars of Eaton Fire costs to its customers.
Earlier this year, the state approved a rate hike to help Edison cover the ongoing costs from past fires. And the utility is seeking further rate hikes to pay for wildfire mitigation and to cover “reasonable costs of its operations, facilities [and] infrastructure.”
Edison will accept claims from homeowners, renters and businesses affected by the Eaton Fire within an identified zone.
Property damage will have to be documented in Cal Fire’s Damage Inspection data. Properties within the fire perimeter (designated "Zone 1") and slightly beyond ("Zone 2) are eligible. You can see a detailed map of eligibility when you start a claim. (You can save your progress on the Edison website, so you don’t have to complete everything in one sitting.)
Claims will cover total or partial structure losses, commercial property loss, business interruption, homes with non-burn damage (such as smoke, soot or ash), physical injuries and deaths.
Survivors who already sold their properties are also eligible for the program (more on that below). Hedge funds and insurance companies are not eligible.
The program will accept applications until Nov. 30, 2026.
Zone 1 includes the original fire perimeter and is extended about 400 feet beyond it.
Zone 2 covers more properties, based on their proximity to the smoke plume, other destroyed structures and the fire’s origin, according to Edison.
There are a few elements of the program that will vary, depending on which zone your property is in. For example, no extra documentation is needed for properties in Zone 1 to receive the flat payment of $10,000 for landscaping damage.
The company says it is using a model developed by economic consulting firm Compass Lexecon, with methodology independently analyzed by RAND, to determine a property’s value and how much to pay out.
The RAND analysis states that about 20% of estimates are expected to be off by more than $200 per square foot, with about half of those errors being overestimates and half being underestimates.
“In general, the model tends to underestimate pre-fire value for … homes at the luxury, or high end, of the local market,” the report states. “It tends to overestimate value for homes … at the low end of the market or in below-average structural condition.”
You can find examples of calculations at the “View Sample Offers” tab on this page.
Pizarro said at a recent town hall that Edison’s team may add examples to the page as questions continue to arise. Below are direct links to some examples:
A single claim is required per household, and there are two paths for a payout: “fast pay” and “detailed review.” Every survivor is required to start with the “fast pay” option.
Edison’s “fast pay” option will provide an offer within 90 days of an applicant submitting a "substantially complete” claim. If the survivor accepts the offer, payment will be made within 30 days.
If survivors don’t feel the first offer is fair, they can choose to have a “detailed review,” which requires more steps and documentation and can take up to nine months for a payment offer. There’s no guarantee that offer will be higher. If you don’t like the "detailed review" offer, you can still accept the initial "fast pay" offer.
If survivors use an attorney to apply for Edison’s payout program, which is not required, they will receive an offer for additional compensation equal to 10% of their net damages to help cover that cost.
An insurance expert LAist spoke with recommended survivors speak with a lawyer before deciding on the claim, and ask them about establishing a “special needs trust,” which can protect survivors who rely on public assistance from losing that assistance with the payout or even insurance reimbursement.
Edison has identified three categories: economic, non-economic, and what the company is calling a “direct claim premium.”
Economic loss includes costs associated with property damage, personal property, loss of use, business disruption, business interruption, physical injury and death. Find the details for economic loss calculations on page 16 of the plan.
Non-economic loss includes fixed payments to survivors for the emotional trauma of the fire, as well as compensation for those injured in the fire or to the heirs of someone who died. Find the details for non-economic loss on page 24 of the plan.
The “direct claim premium” is a fixed amount added on top of the offer. Find the details of the direct claim premiums on page 25 of the plan.
Non-economic damages, the direct claim premium, and the 10% increase to help cover attorney fees will not be included in the insurance deduction. Non-economic damage offers also won’t change if a survivor chooses to go with the detailed review after receiving their fast pay offer.
A survivor’s entire insurance policy, regardless if they have received an insurance payment, will be subtracted from the economic losses portion of Edison’s offer, but not the non-economic, “direct claims premium,” or the attorney compensation.
Insurance companies may seek reimbursement for their costs from Edison through a process called “subrogation.” Edison has already agreed to pay one undisclosed insurance company 52 cents on the dollar for claims related to the Eaton Fire.
The offers through Edison’s program are nonnegotiable, but survivors can ask for reconsideration within 14 days of the offer, which triggers the detailed review process.
Accepting a payout will include agreeing not to sue Edison, the company said.
Instead of accepting a payout, survivors can pursue a lawsuit against Edison. Survivors can continue their litigation at the same time as applying for the payout program.
The first set of lawsuits against SoCal Edison are not set to go to trial until early 2027, though some may be settled before then.
Lawyers told LAist there are a lot of questions about the payout timeline, though they acknowledged it will almost certainly be faster than litigation.
For example, Edison determines if a claim is “substantially complete” before accepting it and launching the 90-day timeline. Furthermore, survivors have to go through that "fast pay" track, even if they have unusual circumstances and will likely require the "detailed review" track, which Edison says will take up to nine months.
Meanwhile, the first set of Eaton Fire lawsuits are not set to go to trial until early 2027, though some could be settled before then.
At a recent webinar, Edison representatives said the plan includes three and a half years of temporary housing for single family homeowners with a destroyed residence. (See pages 18 through 21 of the plan.)
For renters, the temporary housing assistance adds up to three months of pre-fire rent. (See pages 21 through 23 of the plan.)
In this instance, according to Edison representatives, the Compass Lexecon model would use your sale price plus the pre-fire value estimate. Appraisal documentation will only be considered in the detailed review process.
Pizarro said people who apply quickly could be paid out before the end of the year, avoiding a change in federal tax policy next year.
“We have a team ready to process offers as quickly as possible, in large part, being mindful of that potential tax deadline, unless the government changes that,” Pizarro said at a town hall last week.
He said he expects the first offers to be made soon.
The Internal Revenue Service does have specific tax reporting requirements for settlement payments, and there’s a deadline coming very soon.
The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, signed into law by former President Joe Biden at the end of last year to provide tax relief for victims of major disasters, expires at the end of 2025.
Non-reportable payments include:
Unless Congress passes an extension, more types of payments will become taxable in 2026.
Reportable payments, after 2026:
California, however, extended its tax protections for disaster survivors through 2030. Experts told LAist it’s still not clear if the Edison program falls under those regulations.
However, Manoj Viswanathan, a law professor at UC Law San Francisco, said it seems “very likely” that Edison’s compensation program would qualify under that California law because fire victims are giving up their rights to sue, similar to a settlement. Other law and tax experts LAist spoke to agreed the wording of California’s tax relief law likely would cover Edison’s program.
U.S Sen. Alex Padilla of California has proposed making the payments exempt from taxes.
Topline:
A new free record shop for survivors of last year’s Eaton and Palisades fires is celebrating with a grand opening party Saturday night.
The backstory: After losing his home in the Eaton Fire, Brandon Jay founded Altadena Musicians to get instruments back into the hands of musicians who lost gear in the fires. Now he’s doing that with vinyl records, too.
Read on ... to find details.
A new free record shop for survivors of last year’s Eaton and Palisades fires is celebrating with a grand opening party Saturday night.
After losing his home in the Eaton Fire, Brandon Jay founded Altadena Musicians to get instruments back into the hands of musicians who lost their gear in fires.
Now he’s doing that with vinyl records, too.
Record Shop grand opening
Altadena Music Center
1260 Lincoln Ave., Suite 1300, Pasadena
Saturday, May 30
Record donations starting at 1 p.m. Grand opening party is 6 - 9 p.m.
For more info and to register a free ticket, check out the Altadena Music Center event page.
LAist is a media sponsor for the event.
“We want to be here to help replace those items and support music in people’s lives that can’t necessarily afford it right now because they’re saving all their pennies just to live and also just to rebuild their homes,” Jay told LAist.
Jay says they’ve seen roughly 3,000 records donated so far. Now they have a dedicated space on Lincoln Avenue where fire survivors can sign up for time slots and shop for up to 10 records a month.
“It’s a really lovely distraction but it kind of keeps me going as well just to know that we’re trying to build something great for the community and keep us all moving forward,” Jay said.
The store will carry copies of the benefit album, Gimme Shelter: Songs for LA Fire Relief. The compilation features cover art by Shepard Fairey and L.A. specific tracks from artists like Elliott Smith ("Angeles" of course), Norah Jones, The Flaming Lips, as well as a cover of "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads performed by Jay and about 50 other fire-impacted musicians.
Topline:
Ziggy Marley is back with a new solo album that includes the first song he's written about his father, Bob Marley. Brightside also marks Marley's experimentation with recording at a different frequency.
What's the frequency: Marley said he recorded Brightside at 432 hertz — a departure from mainstream music recorded at 440 hertz — to change the emotional listening experience.
His own space: Marley recorded at Rebel Lion Studio, his newly-built facility in North Hollywood. After more than two decades in L.A., Marley said the city's concentration of creatives has played a major role in his own growth as an artist.
What's next: Marley says he's already working on his next album, a children's book and a return to film production of some kind, saying he wants to explore his creativity next in a visual medium.
Reggae star Ziggy Marley has spent decades carrying one of music’s most celebrated legacies. But until now, he had never written a song directly about his father, Bob Marley.
That’s changed with “Many Mourn for Bob,” a track on Marley’s ninth solo album Brightside, his first release recorded in his new studio in North Hollywood.
Marley was just 12 when his father died of cancer in 1981. Now 57, Marley says the song instinctually emerged after years of life experience and producing the biopic One Love, which revisited his father’s struggles like an assassination attempt amid political violence in Jamaica.
“He went through some things that was really tough on a human being – and just understanding him in that light is to have a little bit more emotional, deeper connection to his experience,” Marley said in an interview at his studio.
The deeply personal track is part of a splashy return for Marley, who's touring behind Brightside and will perform at the Hollywood Bowl on June 21.
Reggae Night XXIV featuring Ziggy Marley and Burning Spear, with a DJ set by Zuri Marley
When: Sunday, June 21, 7 p.m.
Where: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles
The new album blends political themes, optimism and musical experimentation.
Its lead single, “Racism Is a Killa,” featuring Big Boi, pairs the heavy topic with an upbeat groove that he hopes will make the song more accessible to young people.
“We just wanna come out straightforward, like I never want to come out tiptoeing,” Marley said. “I want to say something that can catch your ears or catch your thoughts.”
That tension between darkness and hope runs throughout Brightside. Marley described the album as a reflection on enduring difficult periods – from the pandemic to the Los Angeles wildfires – without losing sight of optimism.
“Sometimes we get lost in that so much that we don't realize that there is always a bright side,” Marley said.
The album also experiments sonically: Marley recorded Brightside using 432 hertz tuning instead of the standard 440 hertz in most mainstream music. Advocates of 432 hertz believe it produces a warmer, more meditative sound better synced to the natural world. (You can hear the difference for yourself here.)
“It's a lower musical frequency, but it's a higher frequency in a next sense of your spirituality and emotion,” he said. “So even though the numbers go down, the frequency actually go up.”
Marley sees the move as part of a larger search for new creative approaches.
“I'm very open-minded and always trying to evolve and just experiment with life and music,” Marley said.
The Grammy winner, who joins James Blake and Ed O’Brien of Radiohead as the most high-profile artists to record at the lower frequency, floated the idea of a larger movement among artists.
“Let's just have a revolution in the music industry,” he said. “Let's change the frequency.”
Marley works out of his Rebel Lion Studio in North Hollywood, its name a nod to his 2018 album Rebellion Rises while also a play on the word “rebellion.”
He described the studio as an extension of the independent spirit his father built with Tuff Gong Studio in Jamaica.
“My father had a dream, and I had a dream too,” Marley said.
Like with Tuff Gong, Marley also plans to expand the studio operation to include vinyl pressing as records continue their resurgence in the streaming era.
“There’s always gonna be a vinyl present going on,” Marley said. “A thousand years from now, people that we're still gonna need vinyl records to listen to music.”
For years, Marley said, he worked out of smaller home setups and rented facilities before deciding to build a larger permanent space in L.A.
Marley said the city has become central to his own creative evolution over the last two decades of living and working here.
Drawn initially by music, friends and the city's small but tight-knit Jamaican community, he says being surrounded by creatives from different backgrounds helped push his artistry in new directions.
“I left my safety and my community, my tribe, and come out by myself to L.A.,” he said. “But it's a great experience. It really helped my growth as a human being being here.”
Fresh off the release of Brightside, Marley says he’s already working on another album – a notably quicker turnaround since his last album, the family-music release More Family Time in 2020,
“We're doing back to back,” he said.
He’s also busy writing a children’s book based on his feel-good hit anthem “True to Myself” and eyeing opportunities in front – or behind the camera – inspired by his time working on One Love and making the video for “Racism Is A Killa.”
“Same philosophy, same message, but within visuals, you know?” Marley said excitedly. “I want to create some stories and try out. I feel it coming. I can feel it.”
Topline:
A City Council committee voted Friday to shelve a proposed ballot measure aimed at cutting L.A.'s “mansion tax” nearly in half. Ysabel Jurado, chair of the ad hoc committee on Measure ULA, said it's too early to determine the tax's long-term effects on housing and revenue.
Why it matters: The proposal by Councilmembers John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson would have asked voters in November to reduce the ULA transfer tax rate for multifamily and mixed-use properties to somewhere between 2% and 3.5%, down from the current rate of up to 5.5%.
How we got here: L.A. voters approved Measure ULA in 2022 to fund affordable housing and homelessness prevention. The measure taxes real estate sales over about $5 million. Since taking effect in April 2023, ULA has raised just over $1.1 billion from 1,633 real estate transactions, according to the city’s housing department. Critics say the tax has suppressed housing development.
What's next?: In its final meeting, the committee instead advanced a narrower pilot program that would reduce the property transfer tax only for newly built affordable housing projects. The ULA committee dissolves this weekend, but the ballot measure proposal was also referred to the City Council's rules committee, which could decide to take it up in the coming months.
A City Council committee voted Friday to shelve a proposed ballot measure aimed at cutting L.A.'s “mansion tax” nearly in half.
The ad hoc committee on Measure ULA voted 2-1 to set aside a proposal by Councilmembers John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson that would have asked voters in November to reduce the ULA transfer tax rate for multifamily and mixed-use properties to somewhere between 2% and 3.5%, down from the current rate of up to 5.5%.
However, the ballot measure proposal was also referred to the City Council’s rules, elections, and intergovernmental relations committee, which could still choose to move it forward.
Instead, the ad hoc committee advanced a narrower pilot program that would reduce the property transfer tax only for newly built affordable housing projects.
The pilot program won't need voter approval in the form of a ballot measure. Committee Chair Ysabel Jurado, who introduced the substitute language, said she believes the city should avoid a ULA ballot measure because it’s still too early to evaluate the measure’s long-term effects.
“ I'm against going to the ballot, but I'm for making fixes that make this better,” Jurado said.
Voters will see a separate proposal on their ballots by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to effectively repeal Measure ULA.
If the L.A. City Council does not approve reforming the measure, the only decision on the ballot in November may be whether to keep the mansion tax in its current form or end it.
L.A. voters approved Measure ULA in 2022 to fund affordable housing and homelessness prevention. The measure taxes real estate sales over about $5 million. Since taking effect in April 2023, ULA has raised just over $1.1 billion from 1,633 real estate transactions, according to the city’s housing department.
The city projects it will generate about $500 million in the coming fiscal year — about half of what proponents initially promised. It has funded about 800 new affordable units and helped stabilize thousands of renters facing eviction, according to the housing department.
But critics say the tax has suppressed housing development. Several studies link the tax to a slowdown in apartment construction in Los Angeles, but ULA supporters say high interest rates and broader economic conditions are to blame.
The City Council's ad hoc committee on Measure ULA was formed earlier this year to study how the measure is working and develop potential reforms. That work took on more urgency inside L.A. city hall after the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association qualified a statewide ballot measure for November that would effectively repeal Measure ULA entirely.
Joe Donlin, director of the United to House LA coalition, which campaigned for the original measure, said the City Council committee made the right call by rejecting broader exemptions.
“By not taking up the extreme calls for broad, 15-year waivers that could cost the program about a third of its revenue, the committee acknowledged that ULA is working,” Donlin said in a statement.
A separate group of housing developers, union workers and advocacy groups calling itself the “Mend It, Don’t End It” coalition has been urging city hall to make changes to ULA. On Friday, the group said it supports the measure, but believes targeted reforms are still needed.
“Independent research shows that Measure ULA has slowed housing production in Los Angeles at a time when we need more housing, not less,” said Melanie Mendoza, a coalition spokesperson.
The debate over ULA's impact played out in the committee room Friday morning. The city's chief legislative analyst reviewed seven independent studies on ULA’s impact. Three of those studies concluded ULA had suppressed housing production and reduced property tax revenues, while four found no meaningful negative impact.
Before ULA took effect, Los Angeles collected about $22 million a month in transfer tax. After that, it dropped to about $13 million. But city legislative analyst Henry Flatt told the committee a similar decline happened in cities without the tax, including Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena and Santa Clarita.
“We are not currently convinced that Measure ULA has had an extremely negative impact on general fund revenues,” Flatt told the committee.
The county assessor's office read the same period differently. Scott Thornberry, an assistant assessor with L.A. County, told the committee that commercial and industrial property sales are falling in the city but not elsewhere in the county.
“We are seeing, we believe, a trend line of impact to property tax revenue growth in the city of L.A. specifically," Thornberry said.
Instead of the ballot measure, the committee voted to develop a five-year pilot program cutting the ULA tax to 1.5% for newly constructed affordable housing projects that meet specific requirements.
Lee, whose ballot measure was replaced with language advancing the pilot program, said he hadn't seen the substitute prior to Friday’s meeting and voted against it.
“This was just placed in front of me,” he said. Lee objected to a provision in the substitute recommendations calling for $30 million in new spending on homelessness support.
“Without knowing where this money's coming from, I'm going to have to vote no,” he said.
Lee told LAist he supports stronger oversight and technical improvements to Measure ULA, but believes a ballot measure is the right approach.
“Voters deserve the opportunity to consider targeted changes that would preserve the intent of the measure while addressing its unintended impacts on housing production and real estate activity in Los Angeles,” the councilmember said, in a statement.
Friday's meeting was the committee's final scheduled hearing. The committee, which is set to dissolve June 1, also voted to advance a narrower nonprofit tax refund limited to organizations that can prove all sale proceeds went directly to affordable housing.
The committee continued a separate motion on fire exemptions for Palisades fire victims, which will be heard by another council committee. A motion to loosen eligibility rules for the ULA Citizens Oversight Committee was noted and filed.
Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who introduced several of the committee's motions, said the process had been guided by a commitment to protect the measure.
"My goal has always been to listen carefully, bring people into the conversation, and protect ULA while honoring the voters' intent," she said at Friday’s meeting.
In her closing remarks, Jurado reflected on the three-member committee’s past work.
“We released $14 million in rental assistance to the most vulnerable Angelenos and $300 million for affordable housing,” she said. “We did in six or seven meetings what others couldn't do in five years.”
The ad hoc committee's recommendations now move to the full City Council.
Harris-Dawson and Lee’s ballot measure motion will be considered by the City Council’s rules committee at a later date, officials said.
Topline:
The annual movie-monster bash for horror fans returns to the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend. The event features panel discussions, celebrity photo ops, a monster museum, live makeup demos and over 400 exhibitors.
What can I expect: Rub elbows with legendary beastie creators, browse hundreds of vendors who traffic in the weird and unsettling, and marvel at the practical effects that’ll make your flesh creep.
What should I wear: Cosplay as your favorite filmic haunts or don a classic tee celebrating genre history. Just come ready to adore all things that gnaw and gash.
Read on... for more details about the event.
Monsterpalooza, the annual movie-monster bash for horror fans, returns to the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend, starting Friday night (May 29) and lasting through Sunday.
Now in its 18th year, devotees can rub elbows with legendary beastie creators, browse hundreds of vendors who traffic in the weird and unsettling, and marvel at practical effects that’ll make your flesh creep.
Dozens of panels and presentations are scheduled, including a deep-dive into the 95th anniversary of the Dracula and Frankenstein movies by writer Julian David Stone.
Stone said that the two classic movies have left a lasting impact.
“Dracula is a movie about supernatural horror..... and Frankenstein is about technological or man-made horror," he said. "You can just trace those two themes all the way forward to this past year with Sinners and Megan 2.0."
Stone first attended the convention in 2008, returning over the years as a fan, spectator and presenter.
“It’s just a terrific convention that celebrates all things horror,” Stone said. “There’s a lot of celebrities you can meet who were in these horror films and you can get pictures with them." He added that he’ll never forget when he met Carla Laemmle in 2010 — the last living cast member of the original 1931 Dracula.
If you’re jonesing to be photographed with high-profile entertainers (expect a fee for many), this year's event has a line-up that includes musician Alice Cooper, actress Lin Shaye from the Insidious movie franchise and David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the popular Terrifier movie series.
Cosplay and crazy costumes are encouraged, although a T-shirt celebrating a classic horror movie will also do. Just come ready to adore all things that gnaw and gash.
Location: 300 E. Green St., Pasadena
Ticket prices at the door: Friday $50, Saturday $55, Sunday $55, 3-day pass $99
Hours: Friday 6 p.m. - 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
