This Wednesday, Jan 7: One Year Later, Let's Be Together
Jan 2, 2026
Dear friend,
Yesterday, I had the honor of representing you, me, and all L.A. fire survivors by walking in the Rose Parade alongside our float, Rising Together.
I say “our” because while the float was sponsored by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, it truly belonged to us survivors.
It was the first rainy Rose Parade in two decades. But after all we've been through this year, a torrential rainstorm felt like nothing.
If anything, it was a reminder that we are still here.
And somewhere along the way, we are becoming tough as nails.
Our float won the Fantasy Award for imagination. It had a phoenix carrying survivors' stories, roses bearing the names of those we lost, and was a majestic symbol seen by millions.
But what moved me most was the community behind it. It was brought to life by hundreds of survivors, showed up, looking for solace and for each other, and finding both in the act of building this together.
For 5.5 miles along the parade route, I experienced an overwhelming outpouring of love. Thousands braved the weather to cheer us on. As soon as they saw our float, and us survivors, they jumped to their feet. Some burst into tears. That made me burst into tears too.
All this is proof of what's possible when survivors and allies build together: something beautiful and inspiring.
In our first year together, we connected more than 10,000 survivors and allies. Together, we've begun unlocking the millions we're owed by insurance companies that have been illegally delaying and underpaying our claims.
In year two, we will unlock more. Not just from insurance, but from the other sources that owe us billions, including Edison and the federal government.
That starts this Wednesday, January 7, at our one-year anniversary event.
This Wednesday: One Year Later, We Come Together
From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., we'll hold a press conference on the state of our recovery and the sources of funding required to move it forward in earnest: insurance, Edison, and the federal government. All survivors and allies are invited to come to connect and support.
After that, we'll ask all non-survivors to leave. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we will hold a private survivor ceremony, just us. led by Pastor Amara Ononiwu and the Trauma Resources Institute.
Together, we'll assemble a commemorative Remembrance Altar. If you are comfortable, please bring a small item that represents this past year. You'll take it home with you afterward.
This gathering will take place in Altadena. Because it is an indoor space and capacity is limited, we have not shared this publicly outside of EFSN channels. Please feel free to bring friends and family. Come to one part or both.
Sign up now to receive the location details:
https://efsurvivorsnetwork.myflodesk.com/one-year-anniversary
News You Can't Miss
Several major news stories came out that directly affect us. Please read them and share them with your networks so we can stay informed and keep moving toward recovery.
SF Chronicle: How insurers quietly cut claims behind the scenes
An eight-month investigation into how insurance companies illegally delay and underpay policyholders. This is the most in-depth look yet at the systematic ways insurers cut claim payouts. We worked closely with reporters Megan Fan Munce and Susie Neilson, connecting dozens of survivors into this exhaustive piece.
It includes internal training manuals instructing adjusters to avoid putting denials in writing, and directing remediation companies to withhold original loss estimates so insurers can secretly lower those estimates before we ever see them.
Read with a gift link (expires in two weeks) here.
NY Times: When “cleaned” homes are still toxic
An investigation by Rukmini Callimachi and Blacki Migliozzi into smoke damage and its real impacts on health. This reporting came directly from the New York Times insurance survey that over 500 of us completed last summer.
This is the first reporting to directly connect insurer actions to one family's exposure to neurotoxins and carcinogens after returning to a home cleaned exactly as instructed by a major insurer.
Read with a gift link here.
LA Times: What Edison failed to do before the fires
A year-long investigation by Melody Petersen showing how for years before the Jan. 7 fires, Edison told regulators it needed hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain and upgrade its aging transmission system and received approval to charge customers for that work. But Edison never did much of the work it said was “critical and necessary.”
Read the article here.
CNN: Why survivors are demanding urgent housing relief now
A powerful feature from Julia Vargas Jones that lays bare what families are facing now, and why waiting is no longer an option. The story shows how invisible damage, from toxins to prolonged displacement, is keeping survivors from safely returning home, and why urgent housing relief is essential to prevent further harm.
This call is coming not from one group, but from a broad civic coalition of thousands of survivors and partner organizations.
Watch the video here.
YOU: Share your story with news media
These stories are powered by our voices. Newsrooms tell us that without EFSN's rapid-response service connecting reporters with survivor voices, they would no longer be covering the Eaton and Palisades fires.
If you're open to speaking with media, whether you are an Eaton or Palisades survivor, please join our Survivor Media Corps to learn about media opportunities. Every time you speak in the media, you help expand public awareness and empathy for our recovery.
Sign up for the EFSN Survivor Media Corps: efsurvivors.net/survivor-media-corps
If you're a reporter working on deadline or on a long-form investigative piece relating to our recovery, our free rapid-response service is available. Email me directly your the details of your request: joy.chen@efsurvivors.net
Financial Assistance Available
Landlords and Homeowners
LA County has opened applications for a $23M Emergency Rent Relief Program for landlords and homeowners. Tenants may not directly apply for this Program but can refer their landlords. Assistance may cover up to six months of debt, with a maximum grant award of $15,000 per unit. The deadline is Friday, January 23, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. PST.
Learn more and apply at: lacountyrentrelief.com
Homeowners
The CalAssist Mortgage Fund is offering up to $20,000 in mortgage relief grants. Income limits have increased to $211,050 in L.A. County. Grants are paid directly to your servicer and never need to be repaid.
Learn more and apply here.
State Farm Checks: Did You Get One?
Since we brought evidence of State Farm misconduct to L.A. County and they launched their investigation on November 13, many survivors who had been fighting for nearly a year suddenly began receiving six- and seven-figure checks.
If you received a full payout, we are truly glad. That is money you were owed all along. Please complete the brief survey so we can use the data to help other families get paid too.
If you received a partial payout, or if there has been no progress on your claim at all, please complete the same survey. This helps us understand what is still being withheld and where pressure is needed next.
Please share this link with friends and networks which contain State Farm policyholders.
State Farm Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjUc3q2HTeNAcV6xEFrghuH9wYu9fUDiX8C_FcpZTiBGEYrQ/viewform
If you're not insured by State Farm, don't worry. We will use this momentum to push for accountability across the board in 2026.
Know a Chinese Immigrant Survivor? Help Out a Friend
After English and Spanish, Chinese is the largest language group impacted by the fires, yet Chinese immigrants have had little access to services. UCLA and the Chinatown Service Center are hosting focus groups to improve outreach. Participants will receive $100.
Forward the Chinese flyer.
Forward the English flyer.
EFSN's Story Featured on CBS Saturday Morning
Last weekend, CBS Saturday Morning aired a short feature on EFSN and my unexpected journey from admin of a local pickleball WhatsApp group to leading our community, now more than 10,000 survivors and allies across the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Watch the CBS News feature:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ_07-FqTLE
The segment traces how a small community connection, a pickleball WhatsApp group at the Altadena Country Club, grew into the nation's largest survivor-led recovery hub.
The story also underscores a harsh reality: insurance was meant to be a safety net, yet for many survivors, delays and denials have instead become the biggest barrier to recovery.
And it shows how survivors are organizing, advocating for ourselves, and pushing forward together . and this effort is only gaining momentum as we come upon one year.
Wishing you a happier new year
It is truly my joy and privilege to serve our community in this moment. I'm grateful for the trust you place in me.
2025 was a brutal year. But it is over now. We are still here. We are tougher. And as I recently shared with you, we are stronger now.
On behalf of the remarkable EFSN team, I wish you a better 2026.
Survivors and allies, I hope to see you this Wednesday. Our one-year anniversary will be a time of sorrow for what we've lost, and also a time of togetherness and renewal. To get details, RSVP here.
Big hug,
Joy Chen
Executive Director
Eaton Fire Survivors Network
The Eaton Fire Survivors Network (EFSN) is the nation's largest survivor recovery hub, connecting more than 10,000 Eaton, Palisades, and Malibu fire survivors and allies. Through survivor leadership and coordination, we work to remove barriers and unlock resources so that recovery is accessible to everyone. Learn more: efsurvivors.net.
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