June 6, 2025
Message from Joy Chen
Founder of EFSN
This week marks five months since the fire that upended all our lives.
I feel incredibly fortunate that my family and I have completed remediation and moved back into our home. That was possible only because our insurer (USAA) promptly handled everything: testing, remediation, retesting, re-remediation, through a single, responsive, and caring adjuster.
And that’s why my heart breaks every time I hear what so many of you are still going through.
🎥 CBS Statewide Insurance Town Hall: What 500 Complaints Revealed
This week, I appeared on CBS’s California-wide Insurance Town Hall special.
What I said on air that surprised many: whether a family is recovering like mine — or slipping further into financial and emotional crisis — often comes down to one thing: which insurance company they’re with.
The special was designed as an expert Q&A, but within just three hours, the CBS Insurance Town Hall special team was flooded with 500 questions and complaints from viewers. They were stunned. Afterward, I explained that this outpouring happened because these are not isolated problems. They’re structural. No expert tip can fix rotating adjusters or systematic underpayments. These require regulatory and legal solutions.
I also suggested they transcribe the viewer questions and use AI to identify patterns: what issues are most common, which companies are underperforming, and where they need to dig deeper. They said they’ll follow up in future reporting. This team truly cares. I believe we’ll see more light shining soon.
Survivor-Led Advocacy
EFSN members are leading the charge on issues that matter to us all.
Keep Our Land in Community Hands : AB 797 would stop corporate land grabs after disasters and help longtime residents stay rooted. Kimberlina shared how you can raise your voice and support this critical effort. (Thanks Kimberlina!)
Read Kimberlina’s post. Sign the petition for AB797.
Make Wildfire Settlements Permanently Tax-Free: HR 5863, passed in 2024, made some wildfire settlements tax-free—but only until January 1, 2026. Krista shared how we can act to extend that protection. (Thanks Krista!)
Permit fees: Let’s Get Them Waived: Ali shared that Supervisor Barger is asking L.A. County departments to develop a plan to defer permitting and inspection fees for like-for-like rebuilds. Meanwhile, our own Leonor started a change.org petition urging the County to waive permit fees altogether. (Thanks Ali & Leonor)
Read Ali’s post. Sign Leonor’s change.org petition .
Raising our voices: EFSN members Rossana Valverde and her husband Sam are standing strong, demanding the insurance compensation they—and many of us—deserve. (Thanks Rossana & Sam!)
Growing public awareness: EFSN member Kelsey Szamet opened her home to CBS Evening News, helping to shine a national spotlight on what we’re all fighting for: a fair insurance payout. (Thank you, Kelsey!)
