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California

California Law Shakes Up Landlords: Wildfire Cleanup Now Their Job, Not Tenants’

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Months of confusion following the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires have finally been put to rest. A new California law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, now makes it crystal clear: landlords — not tenants — are responsible for cleaning up fire-damaged rental homes.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 610, comes as a relief to thousands of renters who were left in limbo after wildfires scorched Los Angeles County earlier this year. From ash-choked apartments to smoke-stained walls, many tenants found themselves caught between unclear city codes and reluctant landlords.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Governor Gavin Newsom signs Senate Bill 610, ending confusion over post-disaster cleanup in rental housing.

  • Landlords must remove hazards like smoke, ash, mold, asbestos, and water damage after natural disasters.

  • Tenants can return at original rent, and landlords must refund rent for uninhabitable months.

  • Inspired by tenant complaints and LAist reporting, the bill clarifies long-ignored legal gray areas.

  • A major win for renters, closing gaps that left many displaced after the Eaton and Palisades fires.

Law Targets Gaps Left by Wildfires

The California wildfire cleanup law clearly states that it is “the duty of a landlord” to remove any hazard caused by a natural disaster — including ash, smoke residue, mold, asbestos, or water damage. The wording leaves no room for doubt or debate.

After the January fires, many Los Angeles tenants were trapped in a nightmare. Their homes stood physically intact but unlivable — filled with toxic debris. Some landlords refused to take responsibility, and renters were told to handle cleanup on their own, despite health warnings.

This legislative change finally settles that question. The new law now places the full burden of cleanup squarely on property owners.

Lawmakers Credit Journalism and Public Pressure

The driving force behind SB 610 was a mix of tenant advocacy, media exposure, and relentless community pressure.

State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, who represents Pasadena and Altadena, said her office received dozens of complaints from renters desperate for guidance. She credited LAist’s in-depth reporting for helping bring attention to the issue.

“The reporting that you all had done over at LAist was really helpful,” Pérez said. “We’re hearing directly from constituents and seeing real stories of people who can’t return home because landlords refused cleanup. This bill makes it clear — this is a landlord’s duty.”

The California law now serves as a direct response to months of confusion and inconsistent local enforcement that followed the wildfires.

Local Lawsuits Highlight Systemic Failure

Before the passage of SB 610, several legal battles had already begun to unfold. Last month, L.A. County settled a lawsuit filed by tenants in Altadena who accused health officials of failing to enforce post-fire cleanup standards.

In Pasadena, a similar case is still pending. Residents say city code inspectors told them that “ash” didn’t technically violate habitability codes because it wasn’t mentioned in local ordinances — even after health officials warned that the debris was toxic.

“This law makes important changes in the obligations of a landlord,” said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the City of Pasadena. “It will change how the city communicates with both tenants and landlords going forward.”

Los Angeles Faces Its Own Reckoning

Even the City of Los Angeles struggled with consistent messaging after the fires. During a February web meeting, a housing official mistakenly told renters they were responsible for cleaning their units — a statement later contradicted by the department’s own spokesperson.

“Landlords must remediate hazardous ash debris in rental units,” clarified Sharon Sandow, spokesperson for the L.A. Housing Department.

Such contradictions underscored the lack of clear policy — a gap that SB 610 now fills with precision.

What the New Law Guarantees for Tenants

Beyond cleaning obligations, the California landlord law ensures several key protections for renters:

  • Landlords must refund rent for any months the property was uninhabitable.

  • Tenants can return to their homes at their original rental rate after cleanup.

  • Hazard removal must be completed before re-occupancy.

According to Debra Carlton from the California Apartment Association, the law “doesn’t expand landlord duties but clarifies them.”

“It reaffirms common-sense standards,” Carlton said. “Landlords were already responsible for cleanup before tenants moved back — this just ensures everyone understands that clearly.”

A Win for Renters and Advocates

For tenant advocacy groups, the law represents more than policy — it’s a validation of years of struggle.

Katie Clark, organizer with the Altadena Tenants Union, said the new law finally removes ambiguity.

“This closes that gap,” she said. “There’s no more room for misunderstanding. Ash and smoke damage are now absolutely part of habitability concerns.”

Tenant groups have long argued that disaster recovery shouldn’t depend on individual negotiation or city interpretation — and SB 610 makes that official.

The Human Toll Behind the Policy

Still, for many renters, the law came too late. Marah Eakin and Andrew Morgan, Pasadena residents, lost access to their rental home after the Eaton Fire. Despite paying for independent testing that revealed high lead levels, their landlord refused to clean the property.

“We didn’t see an end in sight,” Eakin said. “For a while, we were moving every few days — it was exhausting.”

After moving nine times, the couple finally settled in Altadena in July with their two children. Their former property manager, Trevor Barrocas, said the cleanup was delayed due to insurance claim disputes with California’s Fair Plan program.

“The property has still not been fully remediated,” Barrocas said. “The unprecedented circumstances have affected landlords, homeowners, and tenants alike.”

Conclusion: A Clear Path Forward for California Tenants

The signing of SB 610 marks a turning point for California rental housing law. After years of wildfires and confusion, the state has taken a decisive step to protect tenants and ensure accountability.

With this legislation, landlords are now legally bound to restore safe living conditions after disasters — no exceptions, no confusion, and no passing the burden to tenants.

As California continues to face the growing impact of wildfires, SB 610 stands as both a safeguard for renters and a clear message: when disaster strikes, the responsibility lies with those who own the property, not those who rent it.

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Delayed Alerts, Rising Flames: Inside the Los Angeles Wildfires Chaos

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The deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January exposed major weaknesses in the county’s emergency response, according to a newly released independent review. The Eaton and Palisades fires claimed more than 30 lives and destroyed thousands of homes across Pacific Palisades and Altadena, highlighting critical delays in evacuation alerts.

The report, conducted by the McChrystal Group and commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors, identifies outdated policies, staffing shortages, and communication failures as key factors that slowed response efforts.

“While frontline responders acted decisively and, in many cases, heroically, in the face of extraordinary conditions, the events underscored the need for clearer policies, stronger training, integrated tools, and improved public communication,” the report stated.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Delayed evacuation alerts during the Los Angeles wildfires contributed to significant loss of life and property.

  • Outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communication gaps slowed emergency response.

  • Critical staffing shortages, including numerous vacant sheriff deputy positions and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management, affected operations.

  • Evacuation alerts took 20–30 minutes during the fires, slightly faster than previous delays of 30–60 minutes.

  • Alerts often required residents to opt-in or click links, limiting their effectiveness.

  • Power outages and cell tower failures further slowed critical notifications.

  • First responders were praised for heroic actions, rescuing residents and evacuating senior care facilities.

  • Causes of the Eaton and Palisades fires remain under investigation.

Interviews with survivors and analysis of available data revealed that some Altadena neighborhoods received evacuation orders only after homes were already destroyed by the Eaton Fire.

The report highlighted “critical staffing shortages,” including numerous vacant sheriff deputy positions and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management, which hampered coordination.

“First responders and incident commanders were often unable to consistently share information due to unreliable cellular connectivity and inconsistent field reporting methods,” the review said.

The report added that multiple, unconnected communication platforms slowed the flow of vital information during the fires.

The evacuation alert system itself was complex. In the case of the Palisades Fire, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department first identified areas needing evacuation. That information was relayed to a member of the County’s Office of Emergency Management at the Incident Command Center, who then contacted another OEM staffer in the Emergency Operations Centre. That staffer updated a third-party system, which finally triggered public alerts.

“During the January inferno, this process took between 20 and 30 minutes. While this is faster than the previous 30–60 minutes, it was still too slow given the speed and intensity of the fires,” the report noted.

Many alerts required residents to opt-in or click separate links to access complete information. “Some evacuation alerts required residents to click a separate link to get complete information, hindering messaging,” the report emphasized.

Adding to the challenges, power outages and cell tower failures disrupted communications. The report also found that prior to the fires, Los Angeles County issued only general warnings about the incoming Santa Ana wind event, without dedicated county-issued wildfire preparedness messages.

Despite these challenges, first responders were praised for their heroism. “This heroic response was driven by urgency and their commitment to save lives, but it also added additional complexity to their responsibilities as they worked to maintain broader operational oversight in the field,” the report said.

Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters evacuated senior care facilities, guided public transit buses through affected neighborhoods, and rescued residents trapped in burning homes, demonstrating extraordinary bravery under extreme conditions.

The report, which is not intended to assign blame, stresses the need for “clearer policies, stronger training, integrated tools, and improved public communication” to better protect residents during future Los Angeles wildfires.

The 133-page review is scheduled for discussion at the next Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting. Meanwhile, the causes of the Eaton and Palisades fires remain under investigation.

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Dalyce Curry, 95, perished in the Eaton Fire that ravaged Altadena, CA

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A life touched by the shimmer of old Hollywood came to a quiet, tragic end as 95-year-old Dalyce Curry — known to loved ones as “Momma Dee” — perished in the deadly Eaton Fire that tore through Altadena. Once a graceful extra in films like The Ten Commandments and Lady Sings the Blues, Curry’s vibrant past vanished in flames, along with cherished family mementos. Her story blends glamour, grit, and grief — and leaves behind one untouched relic: a vintage Cadillac that somehow survived where nothing else did.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Dalyce Curry, 95, perished in the Eaton Fire that ravaged Altadena, CA

  • Known as “Momma Dee,” she was admired for her style, resilience, and spirit

  • Appeared in The Ten Commandments, Lady Sings the Blues, The Blues Brothers

  • Mentored by Madame Sul-Te-Wan, the first Black woman to sign a film contract

  • Was dropped off at home hours before fire reached her neighborhood

  • Her home and all belongings were lost, except for her vintage 1981 Cadillac

  • Remembered for her positivity: “Nothing is as bad as it seems, even at its worst”

To her family and those who knew her, Dalyce Curry was not simply a grandmother or a neighbor — she was “Momma Dee,” a vibrant soul who lived her 95 years with flair, elegance, and quiet determination. When fire swept through Altadena last week during the devastating Eaton Fire, it took with it not just a home, but nearly a century of living history.

Born in 1929 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Curry was a product of her time and also far ahead of it. From the start, she carried a personality far too large for the narrow expectations often placed on Black women in early 20th-century America. As her granddaughter and namesake Dalyce Kelley put it, “My grandmother still wore her big hair, glasses, nails, painted makeup. She was just fabulous, period.” And that fabulousness, it seems, never dimmed.

Drawn by dreams of the entertainment world, Curry eventually settled in Los Angeles, where she pursued opportunities in Hollywood—not as a headliner, but as someone who lived in the proximity of its magic. She backed up jazz legend Pearl Bailey on stage, danced as an extra in Cecil B. DeMille’s epic The Ten Commandments, and appeared alongside Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues. Her granddaughter recalls her grandmother’s pride in every small appearance. “It was a small part, but we were big proud,” Kelley said.

Perhaps more important than her film credits was the mentorship Curry received early in her Los Angeles journey. At a beauty salon in the 1950s, she met Nellie Crawford—known professionally as Madame Sul-Te-Wan—the first Black woman to sign a contract with a U.S. film studio. Crawford, seeing a spark in Curry, took her under her wing and proclaimed her a “goddaughter.” From that moment, Curry’s place in the fringes of Hollywood history was sealed.

But life was never only about the stage. In her later years, Curry trained and worked as a nurse, offering care to patients in convalescent homes and private households across Los Angeles. She chose to use her maiden name professionally, carrying a piece of her identity into every chapter of her life. She raised one son and later became the beloved matriarch to a family that included seven grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Her final hours came quietly but tragically. On the night of her death, she had just returned from a hospital visit after experiencing dizziness. Kelley drove her home around 11:30 p.m., and while flames from the Eaton Fire glowed in the distance, the power in her neighborhood was on, and there were no warnings to evacuate. Kelley, trusting that all was calm, dropped her grandmother off and promised to check in.

Hours later, that sense of calm was shattered. A flurry of messages on the neighborhood text chain began flooding Kelley’s phone around 5:30 a.m., asking if her grandmother had gotten out safely. Rushing back to Altadena, Kelley found roads blocked by police and learned from officers that her grandmother’s cottage had burned to the ground.

The next few days were agonizing. Kelley searched through shelters, hoping for news. Four days later, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office confirmed the worst: Curry was one of at least 25 victims who perished in the fire.

Among the ashes, almost nothing remained. Generations of family photographs, mementos, letters, and keepsakes were all destroyed. But one object survived untouched: a midnight blue 1981 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The car hadn’t run in years, but Curry had cherished it. She often spoke of fixing it up and renting it out to film productions seeking authentic 1980s props. In a strange twist of fate, that dream still sits quietly intact.

Kelley says her grandmother’s spirit endures—not only in family memories but in the example she left behind. “She had this light, this strength,” Kelley said. “And she always told us, ‘Nothing is as bad as it seems, even at its worst.’”

It’s a mantra that resonates especially now, as families across Southern California mourn loved ones and face the monumental task of rebuilding. For Kelley and her family, the loss is personal, but the message remains universal.

Dalyce Curry’s life was a quiet testament to perseverance, grace, and untold stories behind Hollywood’s golden lights. Though she never headlined a marquee, her journey through film, music, and caregiving reflected a deep strength and vivid character. Her tragic death in the Eaton Fire is a stark reminder of the unpredictable force of nature—and the fragile threads that tie us to our past. As her family mourns, the memory of “Momma Dee” lives on, not in fame, but in the quiet.

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