California launches civil rights investigation into Eaton Fire response in Altadena

The state of California is launching an investigation stemming from the Eaton Fire to determine whether race, age or disability discrimination were factors during the emergency response in the historically Black community of west Altadena.

“We'll be looking at whether the systems and structures at play contributed to a delay in the County’s evacuation notice and possible disparities in emergency response… , ” state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Thursday.

The investigation follows reporting by the Los Angeles Times that found west Altadena received late evacuation alerts when compared to east Altadena. Eighteen of the 19 people who died in the fire lived in west Altadena, and nearly half of all black households in Altadena were lost, according to a fire survivors group.

The fire burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed more than 6,000 structures.

The investigation is “a trailblazing move for civil rights and environmental justice,” the group Altadena for Accountability said in a statement.

Bonta said in the statement that residents in the community reported consistently — and the county-commissioned McChrystal Group After-Action Report confirmed — that west Altadena did not receive any emergency evacuation orders until at least nine hours after the Eaton Fire ignited.

Reaction to the announcement

Fire survivors welcomed the investigation.

“Losing my home and seeing my parents lose theirs was devastating,” said fire survivor Gina Clayton-Johnson. “I’m heartened today knowing that we have a real pathway to answers and accountability for what went wrong. This is a big day for all fire survivors today and victims of climate change disasters in the future.”

The civil rights investigation is expected to assess Los Angeles County’s emergency response through a disparate impact analysis — meaning it does not have to find discriminatory intent in order to prove violations of civil rights protections occurred.

“There is a long history of marginalized communities receiving less support during times of crisis," said fire survivor Shimica Gaskins. “This may be the most consequential act taken by any official in California for accountability since the fires ravaged Los Angeles.”

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, welcomed the inquiry as well.

“The concerns raised by residents of West Altadena deserve to be taken seriously and examined thoroughly,” Barger said in a statement. “If there were gaps, we must acknowledge them. If there were disparities, we must confront them. And if systems need to change, we must change them.”

County Fire Department response

Bonta named the L.A. County Fire Department as one focus of the investigation.

In a statement, the Fire Department said the county “has fully cooperated in all independent reviews, and none have found any discriminatory or structural bias in the County’s response.”

“We believe the Attorney General will find that emergency responders did the best they could under unprecedented and extreme conditions as they fought to save lives, homes, and businesses,” the statement read.

The department said it would fully cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation.