We did it! 4-year property tax deferment for fire survivors
April 30, 2026
Dear friends,
I'm thrilled to announce that after six weeks of dogged pressing by EFSN together with a whole team of our elected officials, Governor Newsom yesterday issued a letter unlocking a four-year property tax deferment for Eaton and Palisades fire survivors.
Starting tomorrow, May 1, you can apply for penalty cancellations that will allow you to defer qualifying property taxes, with no penalties or interest, until June 30, 2030.
What You Need to Do
Starting May 1, apply for penalty cancellation through the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector. You must file a separate application for each property tax bill. The deferment covers all qualifying bills going forward through June 30, 2030.
I know that right about now, you may be asking: what if I already paid my two years of property taxes due today, April 30??
We asked whether refunds are possible for all of us who've already paid. The answer is no, refunds are not available. But you can apply for all bills going forward. We wish this had come sooner.
LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector: Payment deadline and next steps
How This Happened
Last year, Governor Newsom issued an executive order giving LA fire survivors one year of property tax relief, which created a two-year balloon payment due today, April 30.
Knowing that would make life even harder for so many survivors, we got to work.
On March 24, EFSN sent the Governor's Office a proposal for a deferral of property taxes. You can read it here. We reached out to County Assessor Jeff Prang, who advised us that only the Governor could extend his original executive order. Jeff has been extremely supportive throughout.
As soon as we shared our proposal with Senators Sasha Renée Pérez and Ben Allen, they sprang into action. Senator Pérez spoke personally with Governor Newsom on our behalf. She and Senator Allen co-authored a letter, and Assemblymembers Harabedian and Irwin signed on. Supervisor Barger's office also jumped in to explore what could be done at the county level.
After six weeks and dozens of emails, texts, in-person meetings, and phone calls among Larry and me and all these officials and their staffs, Governor Newsom issued the letter we needed. Treasurer and Tax Collector Liz Ginsberg immediately prepared a statement and the Q&A linked above.
LA County Treasurer Liz Ginsberg asked us to convey her greatest empathy for us fire survivors. Her team is ready and waiting for our applications starting tomorrow.
Yes, I wish the Governor's letter had come in March. But far better late than never.
Thank You
We are deeply grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen, especially Assessor Jeff Prang, Senators Sasha Renée Pérez and Ben Allen, Assemblymembers Harabedian and Irwin, Supervisor Barger's office, Senator Pérez's Chief of Staff Edmundo Cuevas, Senator Allen's Chief of Staff Tina Andolina. And thank you to Governor Newsom for sending the letter.
LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector Liz Ginsberg asked us to convey her greatest empathy for us fire survivors. Her team is ready and waiting for our applications starting tomorrow.
There are so many hard things in this recovery. But working together with our civic leaders to improve the system and unlock the funds our families need to get home is exactly the kind of catalytic direct relief that EFSN is here for.
This is just one more example of how, as survivors working in partnership with our leaders, we turn shared strength into faster recovery. None of this happens without the support of our funders and partners, including CCF, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, WHH Foundation, and Latino Community Foundation.
If you'd like to help keep EFSN going, please donate here.
Hugs,
Joy
The Every 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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