On my first visit to 403 Figueroa Drive — an apartment complex just south of the swath of homes incinerated by Altadena’s Eaton Fire — a woman I spoke with reflected that what was a nightmare for the grown-ups must be like summer camp for the kids: with no electricity in half of the building, packs of kids could be found running, scootering, and tricycling around the complex’s spacious concrete courtyard, their laughter echoing off the building’s tan, stuccoed walls throughout the afternoon.
For the adults, though, the Eaton Fire has meant rebuilding their lives from the ground-up. In March, some residents could be found unpacking their belongings from plastic bags used to prevent the entry of toxic particulate matter suspected to remain in the air; others repainted their flats with paint cans provided by their landlord. Half of the units remain without power or electricity. Now, the residents of 403 Figueroa are organizing to force their landlord to fix their damaged homes. “I’ve been reading forms for people in this building for as long as I can remember,” said Brenda Lopez, a 29 year-old server who lives in an upstairs unit with her parents, siblings, and 7 year-old daughter Mylady, and she is now representing the some 40 families who live in the apartment complex in their fight with their landlord. “So this all feels a bit like that, in a way: standing up for my neighbors.”
thomas sawano 