At a special joint meeting with Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the Pasadena City Council, the parties provided a status update on the joint recovery effort by the City and the County in the wake of the Eaton Fire. 

City Manager Miguel Márquez talked about the joint partnership between the City and the County during the Eaton Fire.

Driven by extreme winds, the fire burned for days and led to the death of 18 people. Additionally, 9,000 homes were destroyed and more than 14,000 acres burned in Altadena and Pasadena.

Márquez praised the County for springing into action quickly after the fire broke out at 6:15 p.m. on Jan. 7.

Two hours later, the City opened an emergency shelter at the Convention Center and 1200 people were housed for 24 hours.

However, Márquez said, there were people who were ailing and needed further assistance.

“Supervisor Barger stepped in and the County came through,” Márquez said at the early morning meeting. “It was an incredible partnership done within the span of 24 hours.”

Barger said the County could not have responded at the level it did without the help of the City.

“We could have not done it without you all,” Barger said. “This was herculean in terms of what happened. None of this would have happened if we did not have the support of the City of Pasadena.”

Barger represents Altadena, and Pasadena Water and Power provides water to some residents in Altadena.

The recovery effort continues as residents in both areas continue to rebuild.

“We really have to be shoulder to shoulder,” said Councilmember Rick Cole, regarding the need for the two communities to continue to work together.

The fire is the fifth deadliest and the second most destructive wildfire in the state’s history.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Barger continues to push for an expedient rebuild.

Earlier this month, Barger introduced a motion to create a Unified Permitting Authority (UPA) within the Altadena One-Stop Recovery Permitting Center to expedite the residential rebuilding process.

The motion came after it was reported that no homeowners had been granted permits to rebuild.

At that point, Barger said she has been keeping a close eye on the County’s One-Stop Permitting shop and was not satisfied with the pace.

UPA County departments will identify and fix problems that are slowing down the permitting process.

A “strike team” of senior-level staff from Regional Planning, Public Works, Fire and Public Health and other key County departments involved in approving rebuilding plans will also be created.

The team will work directly with fire survivors to move their applications forward. The Board of Supervisors will be updated to guarantee real progress and hold departments accountable.

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