A survivor of thedevastating Eaton Fireblasted state government for a lack of oversight in ensuring insurance firms paid out for recovery efforts in fiery testimony before California lawmakers Wednesday.
Joy Chen, executive director of theEvery Fire Survivor’s Network, tearfully recounted her traumatic experience with theJanuary 2025 wildfire, which left 19 people dead while ravaging Altadena.
“There were no firefighters in Altadena that night, and so we became our own fire brigade,” Chen, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, said at the State Capitol in Sacramento. “When the fire advanced on people’s homes, we rushed over and put out spot fires with buckets of water from pools. It was chaotic and terrifying.”
Her testimony came as lawmakers this week began exploring ways to mitigate future wildfires and help pay for recovery costs, after the Eaton and Palisades fires tore through the LA area last year.
Chen called out not just the insurance industry but also the state government for failing survivors after the fires.
As neighbors discussed their experiences handling insurance claims, she began to notice that recovery efforts depended heavily on homeowners’ carriers, calling out State Farm in particular. The community then appealed to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for aid.
“We asked him for help, and we asked him, ‘If we break the law, we go to prison. Why would a company violating the law on a massive scale be rewarded with a billion-dollar rate hike?'” she testified.
After some pressure, Lara announced a review of insurance claim cases.
“Thefindings were staggering:398 violations across just 220 sample claims. Everything survivors have been saying for 16 months was confirmed,” Chen said.
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