🌆 This Week’s Spotlight:
As the wildfires recede, the fight for tenant rights is raging on. Pasadena and Altadena renters aren’t just battling landlords who refuse to clean up toxic ash — they’re going after the city and county themselves for turning a blind eye to their suffering.

Brenda Lyon, a Pasadena tenant, put it simply: “We’re here to protect future tenants. This isn’t just about us — it’s about making sure renters aren’t left to fend for themselves the next time this happens.”

The lawsuits allege that after January’s Eaton Fire left homes coated in soot and ash laced with dangerous lead, Pasadena and L.A. County officials told renters to handle it on their own. No inspections. No enforcement. No answers.

“Because we weren’t homeowners, it felt like we didn’t matter,” Lyon said. Forced to move out for months and pay for smoke damage cleanup herself, she says the city refused to even come by for a basic inspection.

Attorney Lena Silver, who represents the tenants, said, “It’s about enforcing basic rights — not money. Renters deserve safe housing, and cities are legally required to ensure it.”

Meanwhile, the Rent Brigade has been tracking the surge in illegal rent hikes. Their data shows over 5,000 likely cases of landlords jacking up rents above California’s 10% emergency limit — while only nine landlords have been charged.

Even more infuriating? Many of these landlords donated heavily to the very officials tasked with holding them accountable. More than $300,000 in political donations flowed to the L.A. City Attorney, L.A. County District Attorney, and even the state Attorney General. As one tenant put it, “It’s hard to believe they’re serious about cracking down on rent gouging when they’re cashing checks from the same landlords who are doing it.”

Amid the toxic ash and the acrid smoke, Pasadena and Altadena tenants didn’t just endure—they organized. The Rent Brigade, a group of volunteers and renters themselves, turned what could have been a quiet suffering into a community-led investigation.

Every late-night spreadsheet entry and early morning door knock told a story: landlords cashing in on a crisis, neighbors sleeping in cars while they waited for help that never came, and a city bureaucracy more worried about red tape than tenants’ health.

Brenda Lyon, who had to spend her own money to clean her smoke-damaged home, didn’t stop there. She joined others to file lawsuits, demanding inspections and accountability. “We shouldn’t have to beg for our city to protect us,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Altadena Tenants Union—newer but no less determined—has been working to get immediate answers for neighbors stuck in unsafe homes. Organizer Katie Clark says, “We’re tired of empty promises. We’re building power through data and collective action.”

This is the power of community: when the city’s silence becomes the community’s rallying cry, and when tenants—pushed to the edge—push back even harder. Their work is not just about stopping rent gouging today—it’s about rewriting the rules for tomorrow.

State lawmakers are slowly waking up. New bills would extend rent gouging protections beyond just 30 days after an emergency, crack down on shady landlords, and even make prosecutors share what they’re actually doing about these violations.

But tenants can’t afford to wait for Sacramento to catch up. Here’s how to protect yourself now:
✅ Document Everything: Photos, emails, text messages — gather it all.
✅ Know Your Rights: Under California law, landlords are responsible for keeping your home safe and habitable — even after a disaster.
✅ Connect With Community: Neighborhood Legal Services, Pasadena Tenants Union, Altadena Tenants Union, and Rent Brigade have your back.
✅ Use the Data: Check out the Rent Brigade’s rent-gouging report to see if your landlord’s on the list.

“We’re not just fighting for ourselves — we’re fighting for everyone who’s too scared or too broke to fight back,” said Lyon.
Rent Brigade’s Cohen put it bluntly: “This is only going to happen more often. Climate disasters, landlords who see dollar signs instead of people — renters have to stand up together.”

The fires may be out, but the damage is far from over. The real crisis isn’t just the flames — it’s the system that lets landlords and public officials shrug their shoulders while tenants’ lives go up in smoke. But as Lyon and thousands of tenants are proving, renters are fighting back, one lawsuit, one spreadsheet, and one demand for accountability at a time.

📝 Sources: