Eaton Fire Survivors Network |
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EFSN Community Update: Week of July 18 |
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Joy is out on vacation visiting family. She'll return soon! |
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Upcoming Events & Deadlines |
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Just the essentials—curated for clarity |
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July 19, 2025 (TOMORROW!): First-Ever “Hire a Survivor” Job Fair & Recovery Pop-Up
11 a.m.–5 p.m. at PazNaz Church (3700 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena) Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), with Cal OES, LAEDC, the County of LA, and others, is hosting its first job fair specifically for fire survivors—serving over 1,500 families affected by January’s wildfires. The event includes on-the-spot hiring with dozens of employers, career coaching, youth work programs, a Kids Zone, free food, giveaways, and access to recovery services. Attendance requires two forms of ID showing residency in impacted zones. PazNaz event page here.July 22, 2025: Survivor-to-Survivor Forum – Private Support Space for Wildfire Survivors7:00 p.m. (Online). Hosted by United Policyholders This confidential online forum is open to all wildfire survivors seeking a safe, supportive space to connect with trained United Policyholders (UP) volunteers and others navigating the long road to recovery. It’s a chance to talk honestly with people who understand what you're going through—no pressure, no agenda, just support. July 30, 2027: Insurance Claim Guidance for Small Businesses 5:00 p.m. (Online). Hosted by United Policyholders A panel of consumer-oriented insurance and legal experts will review best practices and strategies for wildfire-impacted small business owners on securing full, fair and timely insurance claim settlements. United Policyholders is a non-profit insurance consumer help organization, so there will be no sales pitches or solicitations at this event. RVSP here. |
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EFSN members are leading the charge on issues that matter most |
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Every week, EFSN surfaces urgent concerns and community wins from our Discord, so we can work with our community to drive action. Together, we’ve turned questions into campaigns, and posts into policy wins. Here are a few efforts we’ve been organizing, supporting, or celebrating lately. “Can I Rebuild Small?” Survivors Swap Strategy on Beating the 800 sqft RuleLast week, a group of survivors in our #permits channel tackled a confusing barrier in LA County’s rebuild process: the 800-square-foot minimum size for new homes in unincorporated area. For those hoping to downsize or rebuild affordably, this arbitrary limit is more than a technicality—it’s a threat to staying on their land. One survivor, Caroline, flagged the issue after hearing it firsthand from LA County Planning. She broke down two ways around it—through like-for-like rebuild exceptions and ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) classifications—and flagged it as a possible advocacy priority: “They seem to recognize that this requirement is dumb, so it’s on the chopping block—but it might take them a whole 9 months to cut it… Something to potentially advocate for 💪” - Post by Caroline PFrom there, the thread sparked an outpouring of resources, clarifications, and peer coaching. Survivors swapped information about ADUs, shared legal definitions, discussed timelines, and helped each other prep for permit center visits: "They had initially said you had to be +/- 10% on square footage in order to qualify as like-for-like -- but more recently I'd seen that you could actually be more than 10% smaller without difficulty" – Post by Toni "This gives me some hope toni thank you!" — Post by Chelsea H |
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Access our full community support system by joining our Discord |
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251 South Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101, United States |
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