ALTADENA, Calif. — The devastating wildfires sweeping through the Los Angeles region, often highlighted by images of celebrity residences and iconic film spots turned to ash, have profoundly affected ordinary people too. A trip through the scorched neighborhoods around Altadena reveals a community that has long served as a refuge for countless Black families seeking to escape discriminatory housing practices prevalent in other areas. These neighborhoods are marked by a rich tapestry of racial and economic backgrounds, where homeownership is common.
However, there are growing concerns that the most catastrophic fires in California’s history may have irreversibly changed this landscape. The daunting task of recovery and rebuilding looms over many residents, with renewed pressures from gentrification creating uncertainty about their futures.
Samantha Santoro, a 22-year-old studying at Cal Poly Pomona, expressed frustration at how initial media coverage of the fires prioritized celebrity victims over the everyday people affected. She, along with her sister who attends UC Berkeley, fears for their working-class family and neighbors in Altadena who have lost their homes. “We can’t just hop over to a vacation home,” Santoro lamented.
Their family rented a two-bedroom house with a pool at a reasonable rate of $1,650, which helped them support their daughters. Now they are temporarily residing with a relative in Pasadena, relying on renters’ insurance, though it isn’t enough to cover the fallout. “It’s difficult to accept that you have lost everything,” she said, visibly distressed when reflecting on her parent’s struggles, noting, “All they ever worked for was in that house.”
Altadena’s community fabric is woven from an array of small cottages to sprawling estates. With a population of 42,000, the area is a blend of blue-collar families, artists, and professional workers. Census data reveals that 58% of residents are people of color, with approximately 25% identifying as Hispanic and nearly 20% as Black.
During the Civil Rights movement, Altadena emerged as a promising place for Black Americans, offering middle-class opportunities hindered by credit discrimination. Families managed to keep and pass down their homes, leading to an impressive Black homeownership rate of 81.5%, significantly higher than the national average. This achievement is noteworthy, especially considering that a staggering 92% of Altadena’s 15,000 residences are single-family homes, with a median income exceeding $129,000, while slightly more than 7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, has voiced concerns regarding the long-term implications of the fires for these families. “Somebody will buy these properties and develop them, fundamentally changing Altadena’s character,” Knapp warned, emphasizing that those with fewer resources will be most adversely affected.
Kenneth Snowden, 57, recalls how he and his family were able to buy a home in 1962, but both that property and the one he acquired nearly 20 years ago are now lost. He urges state and federal officials to ensure equitable assistance for all communities impacted by the fires, insisting that high-value properties should not receive preferential treatment. Snowden is advocating for the opportunity to secure zero-interest home loans. “Give us the chance to rebuild, to start anew,” he implored. “If funds can be allocated for wars, they can be directed here to help us restore our lives.”
Also feeling the impact is Shawn Brown, who not only lost her home but the public charter school she founded in Altadena. She has a message for fellow Black homeowners who may consider selling: “I urge them to remain steadfast, to rebuild, and to continue the legacy of African-American progress.”
As Brown and staff from Pasadena Rosebud Academy seek to raise funds for rebuilding, they explore temporary arrangements in churches. Unfortunately, some of these churches have suffered as well. At the Altadena Baptist Church, only the bell tower remains intact.
The Rev. George Van Alstine and his congregation are working to assist over ten church members who have lost their homes, providing help with insurance and federal aid. He fears that these fires will accelerate the process of gentrification, forcing many Black families within the congregation to leave. “It’s likely that we will see families unable to afford to stay in Altadena as rebuilding costs will be overwhelming for them,” he stated.
Similarly, Daniela Dawson, a 32-year-old photographer, lost nearly everything in the fires. She had been juggling two jobs just to maintain her $2,200 studio apartment. Fleeing the blaze in her SUV with her cat, she was bereft of her extensive photography equipment and without renters’ insurance. “Now I’m regretting that decision,” she remarked. Dawson intends to return to Arizona to regroup, but it appears unlikely that she will come back to Altadena.
