California State Capitol in Sacramento (Photo – Coolcaesar)
Funding will support rebuilding assistance, community land acquisition and survivor oversight in Altadena.
By News Desk
California’s 2026 budget includes $15 million for a fund designed to help Eaton Fire survivors rebuild their homes and reduce the risk of displacement in Altadena.
The Community Aid for Rebuilding and Equity, or CARE, Fund was developed by Eaton Fire survivors and community organizations in response to rising rebuilding costs, increasing debt and concerns that some residents could be forced to leave the community.
Under budget language identified as AB 113, the California Community Foundation will administer the CARE Fund and establish a Disaster Recovery and Anti-Displacement Implementation Fund. The funding will support gap financing for homeowners rebuilding their properties, community land banking and property acquisition, partnerships with nonprofit organizations and community land trusts, and survivor oversight of the recovery process.
Ten million dollars of the $15 million allocation is designated for community land banking and acquisition.
Dena Rise Up and the Eaton Fire Collaborative, two organizations involved in developing the proposal, said the CARE framework was shaped by survivors’ experiences after the fire. They said the program is intended to address financial gaps that may remain after insurance payments and other forms of assistance, while helping renters and homeowners remain in the area.
The organizations said the survivor oversight provisions will give affected residents a role in determining how recovery resources are distributed.
“For generations, homeownership has been at the heart of our community’s strength, stability and diversity,” said Shimica Gaskins, president and CEO of End Child Poverty California, powered by GRACE, and an Eaton Fire survivor. “This support is more than disaster relief—it’s an investment in ensuring that families who built their lives here have a real opportunity to rebuild, remain and pass that legacy on to future generations.”
Gaskins said the funding could help preserve Altadena’s history of homeownership and community diversity.
“This is a victory for the survivors and community members who refused to accept displacement as the inevitable outcome of the Eaton Fire,” said Jose Madera, executive director of Pasadena Job Center. “This is what happens when a community gets organized.”
Vlad Carrasco, advocacy chair for the Eaton Fire Collaborative and director of climate justice at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said the CARE Fund broadens the definition of disaster recovery.
“Displacement prevention is a measure of disaster recovery,” Carrasco said, adding that the fund also creates a recovery pathway for renters.
Among the survivors who advocated for the proposal was 13-year-old Monahmi Ruiz, whose home was destroyed in the fire. Ruiz traveled to Sacramento twice with Dena Rise Up to meet with lawmakers.
“Don’t be afraid to use your voice, no matter how old or young you are,” Ruiz said.
The funding now moves into the implementation phase. Dena Rise Up and the Eaton Fire Collaborative said they will work with the California Community Foundation to develop a transparent process centered on survivors and focused on families most at risk of displacement.
The organizations have not provided details about when assistance will become available, how survivors will apply or how the oversight structure will operate. Those details are expected to be addressed during the implementation process.
The proposal was carried in the Legislature by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and supported by Sens. Lena Gonzalez, Ben Allen, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Josh Becker, along with Assemblymembers Sade Elhawary, John Harabedian, Isaac Bryan and Robert Garcia. The organizations also credited Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas with supporting the proposal.
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