Three Senate Victories. Now the Real Fight Starts.

Our insurance bills advance, Pulitzer-winning journalists join us tomorrow, and Rally for Recovery needs your RSVP.

June 2, 2026

Dear friends,

I know, I know. It's getting a little repetitive, all these headlines about winning on insurance accountability.

But I'm happy to report: we won on insurance accountability again!

All three of our insurance reform bills have now passed the full California Senate.

Together, they attack the three tactics keeping families from getting home: hidden underpayments, delays rewarded by the system, and coverage yanked without warning.

Congratulations to Senator Sasha Renée Pérez and Senator Ben Allen, who authored these bills. To our brilliant co-sponsors, Carmen Balber and Consumer Watchdog. To our coalition partners at DENA Rise Up. And to every one of you who shared your story, filed a complaint, and kept fighting when it would have been easier to simply give up.

These bills exist because of you

Next: The Assembly Insurance Committee

Now for the hard part.

Remember SB 1076? Supported by 94% of Californians. To subvert the will of the people, the insurance industry only needed 4 votes out of 7 in one small committee room. And they got them. I was there and watched it unfold. If you want the gory details of how the sausage gets made, I wrote about it here.

The Assembly Insurance Committee is the same playbook, just on a bigger stage. Seventeen members. Billions of dollars at stake. The industry is organized, extraordinarily well-funded, and is fighting against restrictions on its ability to delay claims, underpay survivors, or nonrenew policyholders.

The coming weeks will determine whether these bills die in committee, reach the Governor's desk as strong consumer protections, or emerge weakened, narrowed, and riddled with loopholes.

If you've not yet added your name to support our bills, please do it now: fixinsurance.org

Say Hi to the Every Fire Survivor's Network!

The response to our name change has been overwhelmingly positive, and I'm so glad about that.

But some Altadena neighbors have been sad about it. I understand. When so much has been taken from us, it can feel like losing something when we remove "Eaton" from our name.

So let me be clear: nothing about our commitment to Altadena has changed.

EFSN was born in Altadena. Altadena remains at the heart of our work today. And nothing about that will change tomorrow.

In many ways, this name change is a year overdue. We've been serving Palisades survivors since the first month. Then Malibu and Topanga. And today, survivors across Los Angeles.

What has never changed is who we are: survivors helping survivors get home.

And there is something truly beautiful about the word "Every."

Not most survivors. Not some survivors. Every one.

To mark our name change, Michelle Edgar wrote beautifully about EFSN for the Pasadena Star-News:

"By connecting survivors across regions, EFSN helped unlock more than $100 million in delayed insurance payments, demonstrating the power of collective advocacy. The organization has become a central force in shaping conversations around insurance reform, housing stability, and long-term recovery."

And:

"At its core, EFSN's evolution reflects a broader shift in disaster recovery, from isolated response to coordinated, community-led systems of support."

That is exactly what we have built. A civic hub for recovery, led by survivors ourselves.

And now, the visual expression of that idea:

Here's our new logo!

Those overlapping house forms are us: families, neighbors, organizations, and institutions connected through shared recovery. The colors represent every community we serve.

The open doorway points toward the future we're building together: one where every family has a real chance to get home.

First logo sighting in the wild!

I was honored to partner with Pasadena Community Foundation CEO Khanh Russo at last weekend's Beacon Housing pickleball tournament. Our team name? DON'T MESS WITH FIRE SURVIVORS.

We did not come close to winning the tournament. But at least in our own imagination, we absolutely swept Best Dressed, Most Swagger, Loudest, and Most Fun.

Did you want to buy our team uniforms off our backs? Well, great news. The brand new EFSN shop is live. Shirts, totes, hats.

Khanh's impressive biceps not included!

Shop now.

TOMORROW: Behind the Pulitzer Prize Investigation into Insurer Misconduct Following the L.A. Fires

Wednesday, June 3 · 7:00–8:30 PM · Free

I can't wait for this one.

Tomorrow night I'm hosting Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Susie Neilson and Megan Fan Munce of the San Francisco Chronicle for a behind-the-scenes conversation on BURNED, their investigation exposing how major insurers used hidden algorithms to systematically underpay and underinsure survivors of the Los Angeles fires. Their reporting earned the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.

When I texted Susie to congratulate her on the Pulitzer, she told me to make sure to brag that EFSN deserves a huge amount of credit.

From the earliest days of our Discord, Susie and Megan were meeting survivors, and we connected them with more than 60 people whose stories became the backbone of their reporting.

That makes me so proud. The Pulitzer was won in part because survivors were willing to tell the truth and shine a light on practices that otherwise might have remained hidden.

Join us to hear what they uncovered, what it means for your claim, and what they are still investigating.

All Eaton and Palisades survivors and allies are warmly welcome. Please invite your friends, neighbors, and networks.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MF3ydPMRTwa-kDWR648EPg

Rally for Recovery: Please Sign Up Now
August 22 · 8am–3pm · iPickle Arcadia

I keep running into people in the community who say they are absolutely coming on August 22. And have not yet signed up.

I get it. August feels far away.

But this is our first time planning an event of this size, and we genuinely need to know now: How many courts do we book? How many kids' zones? How many people want to play versus simply come for the food, music, and community?

34 pickleball courts. 800 to 1,000 neighbors. Survivors, pro athletes, public leaders, food trucks, music everywhere. Come be together, and help keep all EFSN programming free all year.

Sign up: rallyus.org

Join the EFSN Team: Two Crucial Roles and a Pro Bono PR Hero!

EFSN is a tiny team doing an outsized amount of work for tens of thousands of survivors. And we are hiring for two positions that are going to make a huge difference in what we can accomplish together. I can't wait to meet the right people.

Project Manager: Are you exceptionally organized, dependable, and able to keep many moving pieces aligned? You'll help coordinate programs, events, partnerships, and operations across the nation's largest survivor recovery hub. This role may be especially appealing to experienced professionals returning to the workforce. Learn more and apply here.

Marketing Manager: Are you the person who instinctively knows what will make people stop scrolling? You'll help tell the story of this movement through social media, digital storytelling, media outreach, video, graphics, and content creation. This is a chance to help shape the public narrative around one of the largest disaster recovery efforts in the country. Learn more and apply here.

Both roles are part-time to start, approximately 20-25 hours per week, with the goal of transitioning to permanent positions as funding grows.

We are also looking for a pro bono PR partner to help amplify several major insurance accountability actions we are planning later this month. If you know someone who loves a good David-versus-Goliath story and wants to help build the transparency and accountability our recovery needs to succeed, please send them our way: hello@efsurvivors.net

TODAY Is Your Last Chance to Vote!

Recovery follows the money. And the money follows the people we elect.

With turnout expected to be low, every single vote carries outsized power right now.

Don't have your ballot? Walk into any Los Angeles County Vote Center, register the same day, and vote.

Vote Centers are open today, June 2, from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

• Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena
• Pacific Palisades Mobile Vote Center (Palisades Recovery Coalition), 15233 La Cruz Dr.

More locations: locator.lavote.gov
Questions: (800) 815-2666

Another Investigative Bombshell: Where Did the $2.5 Billion Go?

Kudos to Lorraine Roe and the NBC4 Investigates team for their months-long investigation. Sixteen months after Governor Newsom announced $2.5 billion in fire relief, much of the money remains unspent. Watch the report.

Three bills through the Senate. A name that reflects who we have become. A Pulitzer conversation tomorrow night. An election today. And a Rally for Recovery that needs your RSVP.

Looking back, it's hard to believe that all of this started with a handful of neighbors trying to help one another through a terrible night.

Thank you for helping build what came next.

We still have a lot of work ahead of us. But we've already proven something powerful: survivors are stronger when we come together.

Hugs,
Joy

The Every Fire Survivor's Network (EFSN) connects 10,000+ fire survivors and allies across Eaton, Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga. Together, we remove barriers and help families get home. Join us: efsurvivors.net