Who Should Fill “The Gap”? Edison. Together Next Week, Let’s See if They Will
Oct 24 2025
The #1 obstacle to our recovery is what survivors simply call “the gap.” It’s the difference between what insurance pays and what it actually costs to rebuild.
And for Eaton Fire survivors, the entity responsible for filling that gap is the same one that incinerated half our homes and blanketed the other half with toxic contaminants: Southern California Edison.
A little bird has whispered in our ear that Edison’s final compensation plan may drop next week. Simple question: if they’re turning it around just two weeks after receiving public comments, were those comments truly considered?
We’re especially concerned for the most vulnerable families among us.
A new Department of Angels report finds that 8 in 10 Eaton Fire families still cannot return home, and more than half will lose housing coverage within months. Families are now cutting back on food, medicine, and mental health care just to stay afloat.
Amid this financial strain, mental health providers report a sharp rise in suicidal ideation among survivors. (If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available anytime by dialling 988.)
Key to Edison’s compensation plan is a requirement that, to get aid, survivors must sign away our right to ever sue the company. We are deeply concerned that some may feel forced to accept this — simply to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table — even if the plan does little to support long-term recovery.
If the final plan mirrors the draft, the most vulnerable families among us could be coerced into signing away their rights just to avert a crisis. That is not fair.
So together, let’s see what comes out of Edison next week.
What We Learned Writing Fix What You Broke
After Edison released its draft plan, more than 200 survivors came together to produce Fix What You Broke, a 51-page report of concrete recommendations for Edison’s final plan.
Here’s the bottom line:
Edison’s draft plan repeats the same limits and tactics already failing us under insurance.
• Most smoke-damaged homes are excluded entirely.
• Those that qualify get a flat $10,000, even though testing and cleanup typically costs $100,000 or more.
• Edison uses a narrow “visible damage” rule that ignores toxic contaminants, a standard courts have already ruled illegal for insurers.
And it goes further: turning survivors’ insurance into a discount for Edison.
Across the Eaton and Palisades fires, more than 70% of insured survivors are facing delays, denials and underpayments blocking recovery. Yet under Edison’s plan, the company deducts the full value of your insurance coverage — not what’s actually been paid — from what it owes.
If your home is insured for $400,000 with 150% extended replacement coverage ($600,000 total), and your insurer has paid only $200,000, Edison still deducts the full $600,000. If Edison calculates that it owes you $330,000, that deduction would wipe it out completely. You would get nothing from Edison, and still be waiting on the $400,000 your insurer has yet to pay.
This setup allows both Edison and insurers to benefit from illegal delays, denials, and underpayments, leaving survivors without resources to rebuild.
But Edison is not an insurer; it is the wrongdoer. Its duty is defined not by policy language but by the harm it caused. Edison must fix what it broke, fully and fairly.
Children, renters, and small business owners are also left behind.
• Children are valued at a fraction of adults, even though research shows their trauma runs deeper.
• Renters and small business owners face arbitrary caps that ignore real losses.
And here’s what’s hardest to reconcile:
Edison’s emotional distress caps are lower than what bankrupt PG&E paid after the Camp Fire.
PG&E was insolvent, buried in $30 billion in liabilities, and had no Wildfire Fund.
Edison is solvent, profitable, and fully backed by the state’s Wildfire Fund.
Offering less than a bankrupt utility is indefensible.
Edison’s Fire. Our Money.
From Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Melody Petersen, we’ve just learned something shocking: that Edison’s shareholders are not paying for this compensation plan — we ratepayers are.
Under Governor Newsom’s 2025 legislation, we ratepayers — not Edison shareholders — bear the full cost of settlements above the state’s Wildfire Fund. That means the very people harmed by Edison’s fires are also paying the price — in trauma and in our utility bills.
Just weeks ago, Edison received a 13% rate increase, which we are now paying monthly.
And as revealed in the webinar our Altagether neighborhood captains convened this week, survivors will also pay $8,000–$10,000 per household to connect to new underground power lines.
All these costs are borne by us — the ratepayers — even though it was Edison that burned down our homes and poisoned our neighborhoods.
The least Edison can do is ensure that — with our money — it fixes what it broke.
Accountability starts with action.
What We’re Calling For
1️⃣ Fix what you broke. Cover the full scope of losses from Edison’s fire — physical, financial, emotional, and community.
2️⃣ Include everyone harmed. Value children, renters, and smoke-damaged households equally.
3️⃣ Pay for housing until we are home. Cover full living costs until families can safely return or rebuild.
Edison’s top brass say they’re carefully reviewing our report and “watching” our press conference. We’ll soon see whether they truly listened or watched with the sound off.
Quick Help You Can Use Now
CalAssist Mortgage Fund Expanded
Income eligibility rose from $146,000 to $211,050, making hundreds more households eligible for up to $20,000 in mortgage help or three months of payment relief.
If you were denied due to income, reapply.
Huge thanks to Andrew King and the Department of Angels team for this advocacy win.
👉 calassistmortgagefund.org
New Investigative Podcast: Smoke & Mirrors
From our superheroes at Consumer Watchdog, this series exposes how insurers delay, lowball, and deny claims — and how survivors are fighting back.
Episode 1 features several courageous EFSN members.
Listen, follow, and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Don’t Miss This: The Virtual Rebuilding Summit for Eaton & Palisades Survivors
Saturday, November 15, 2025
9 AM – 5 PM | 💻 Free Online Event
This is the one-day virtual event our EFSN team built to empower you with the clarity and resources you need to rebuild smarter, safer, and stronger.
Join an incredible roster of experts in resilient design, wildfire-safe construction, financing, and survivor rights. You’ll leave with:
• A clear picture of real rebuilding costs and options
• Step-by-step checklists to move forward with confidence
• Live answers to your biggest questions
Attendance is free — but spots are filling fast.
👉 Save My Free Spot
The Road Ahead
dison’s final plan may arrive next week.
If Edison closes the gap, families can finally come home.
If it doesn’t, we’ll expand our civic coalition and call for accountability until it does.
Keep Learning and Stay Connected
Dear Edison: Fix What You Broke
Read the Full Report here.
Read the Executive Summary here.
Watch the Press Conference: efsurvivors.net/edisonrecovery
Take good care,
Joy Chen
Executive Director
