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Edison makes 1st payment in Eaton Fire compensation program
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Pair of LA events mark National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day By Kevin Kenney, City News Service
By Staff
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Edison power lines stand above an Altadena neighborhood destroyed in the Eaton Fire. | Photo courtesy of Taylor Hillo/Southern California Edison
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esidents of communities directly impacted by the Eaton Fire have begun receiving financial compensation from Southern California Edison's, the utility announced Tuesday. The Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program launched on Oct. 29. So far, residents have submitted more than 1,500 claims, with offers extended and accepted and additional payments made by year-end, company officials said. “We are grateful to community partners — neighbors, local organizations and first responders — for their tireless efforts to support recovery,” Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, SCE’s parent company, said in a statement. “We committed to helping quickly, too, delivering offers within 90 days and payments within 30 days. Today, we’re making good on
that promise in a fraction of the time, providing muchneeded payments when the community needs it most.” The utility provided program metrics — as of Dec. 15 claims totaled 1,551 filed by 3,293 claimants and household members involved. SCE has extended 27 offers and made one payment. The three most common loss types are nonburn damage at 43% of claims, total loss at 40% and 5% for partial loss claims. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have submitted 20% of claims. According to Edison, the average amount of time to complete the program's claim form is 90 minutes. Participation in the program is voluntary, and claims can be submitted until Nov. 30, 2026. The compensation initiative "is designed to provide fair resolutions and fast payments to eligible individuals and businesses,"
according to the company, which remains focused on processing claims within 90 days "of being substantially complete," providing resources for the public online, by phone and in person and "delivering fair resolutions and fast payments within 30 days, after all conditions have been satisfied." Before starting a claim, review these helpful tools to answer questions you may have about the form or process. Full details about the program's first compensation payment were not available. "It was a smoke and ash claim," SCE spokesman David Eisenhauer said in an email, adding that it was not appropriate to share specific amounts. Financial support for the compensation program is reimbursement from the state's $21 billion Wildfire Fund, and the utility can raise
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electric rates to cover costs that exceed $21 billion. The first $1 billion of claims is covered by SCE’s customer-funded insurance. The utility would then seek reimbursement from the state and "continues to have confidence in the wildfire fund and its $22B of claimpaying capacity," Eisenhauer said. Information on the program and filing a claim is on SCE's website. Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of about 15 million people via 5 million customer accounts in Central and Southern California. Several lawsuits allege SCE equipment sparked the Eaton Fire in Altadena and nearby areas Jan. 7 amid extremely fast winds. The blaze killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures.
f you're homeless, every night is tough, every night a struggle to stay warm and dry and safe. But Sunday evening — Dec. 21, the official start of winter, the longest night of the year — might be toughest of all. Dec. 21 also marks National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day, symbolically observed every year since 1990 on the first day of winter to remember the thousands of unhoused people across the nation who at some point lost that nightly struggle and perished. In Los Angeles, two events were held Sunday to mark National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day, honoring the lives of Southland residents who died while unhoused in 2025. On average, seven unhoused people die every day in Los Angeles, "many of them alone and without acknowledgement," according to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Housing Is A Human Right advocacy organization — conducted a candlelight vigil Sunday night in Hollywood. During the 5-6 p.m. vigil at the southwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hudson Avenue, members and staff from homelessservice organizations joined members of the public for a reading of names of people who died in Los Angeles "before they could exit homelessness." Archbishop José H. Gomez presided over a
Homeless Persons' Interreligious Memorial at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Gomez was joined by community, civic and religious leaders who came "together in prayer to remember and honor our brothers and sisters who died while experiencing homelessness during the past year in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties," the archdiocese said. "This year, we will lift up the lives of 1,564 people — among them 84 whose names are unknown — each represented by a candle bearing their name," an archdiocese statement said. The candles were carried into the Cathedral by Catholic and non- Catholic school students, "a sign of hope and shared responsibility across generations and faith traditions," the statement said. During the memorial, Gomez and other religious leaders invited those present "to reflect on our call to walk alongside those who are unhoused, and to renew our commitment to compassion, solidarity, and works of mercy." Attendees were also invited "to take a candle and continue the prayer, entrusting the soul of that person to God's loving care." A statement by the archdiocese noted that, "Since 1990, National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day has been observed each year on December 21, reminding us
See Homeless Memorial Day Page 12