Pérez says fire report confirms west Altadena warning failure
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia) said a new state-commissioned report confirms that warnings about the Eaton Fire’s spread into west Altadena never reached fire commanders, leaving the historically Black and brown neighborhood without evacuation orders for hours. That neighborhood suffered 18 of the fire’s 19 deaths.
The 724-page report by UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute, commissioned by Gov. Gavin Newsom, found that critical warnings from paramedics in west Altadena never reached incident commanders during the Eaton Fire. The report’s 175 findings and 266 recommendations also concluded that the destruction from the Eaton and Palisades fires came from many interconnected systems failing under extreme conditions, not a single point of failure.
“In the case of the Eaton Fire, we know that vital communication in the immediate hours after the fire’s ignition were not relayed to fire commanders. As a result, evacuation notices were not issued until hours later in west Altadena. This working-class neighborhood with its historically Black and brown residents suffered 18 of the fire’s 19 deaths,” said Pérez.
The findings come as a question is already in court. In January, Southern California Edison filed cross-complaints accusing LA County agencies, including the county Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management, of failing to send timely evacuation warnings. According to the utility, West Altadena residents did not receive warnings until 3:25 a.m. The county declined to comment on the filings at the time, and is itself suing Edison over the fire.
West Altadena families have also gone to court. The family of Stacey Darden, who died in the fire, filed a wrongful death suit against Edison and Genasys, the company that supplied the county’s emergency alert software. The suit alleges Genasys’ preset alert zones left most of west Altadena out of the initial warnings.
Feldstein Soto, state win $272.5 million Lyft driver settlement
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the city attorneys of San Francisco and San Diego on Oct. 1 in announcing a $272.5 million settlement with Lyft over allegations the company misclassified its drivers as independent contractors from 2016 to 2020.
Bonta called it the largest misclassification settlement in California history. At least $237,075,000, or 87%, is reserved for drivers, with payments based on hours and miles driven between April 5, 2016, and Dec. 15, 2020. The settlement still needs court approval. Lyft does not admit wrongdoing, and in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it said it can spread payments over four years.
“Los Angeles and our statewide partners will not allow businesses to exploit their workers and evade their obligations under the law. When companies misclassify their workers, they deny them critical protections and shift the burden onto taxpayers,” said Feldstein Soto.
The coalition sued in 2020, alleging that Lyft denied drivers minimum wage, overtime and reimbursement for work expenses. The suit followed the California Supreme Court’s 2018 Dynamex decision, which adopted the “ABC test” for classifying workers, later written into law under AB 5.
The settlement covers the period before voters passed Proposition 22, the 2020 ballot measure backed by Lyft and Uber that classified rideshare drivers as independent contractors.
A third-party administrator will set up a website, email address and call center for drivers who believe they are eligible. The coalition said it will release details soon.
Hochman-backed bills, including Braun’s Law, get signed
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman saw Gov. Gavin Newsom sign five bills sponsored by his office, including Braun’s Law, named for a Loyola High School student killed in Manhattan Beach by a suspected repeat drunk driver.
SB 907, by State Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera, Norwalk, Whittier, Cerritos, Downey, La Mirada), requires that drivers whose DUI charges are pleaded down to a lesser charge still receive a formal warning that they could face second-degree murder charges if they drive impaired again and kill someone. The law is named for Braun Levi, 18, who was killed in May 2025. It also increases penalties for hit-and-runs causing death or injury by drivers with a DUI-related conviction in the past 10 years.
“District attorneys are only as strong as the laws we enforce. The new laws sponsored by my office will make a tangible difference in public safety, deterring crime and protecting victims across the state,” said Hochman.
AB 2310, by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale, Lancaster, Littlerock, Lake Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Westlake Village, Topanga), toughens penalties for illegally dumping toxic materials, including wildfire and construction debris. It also makes transporting toxic waste for illegal dumping a crime, and lets courts order property owners to clean up dumped material.
SB 1211, by State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), gives prosecutors access to the case files they need to investigate wrongful-conviction claims. The other two new laws let prosecutors bring multi-county labor trafficking and wage theft cases where victims live or work, and let animal control keep animals seized in cruelty cases if owners don’t pay for their care within 14 days.
Gabriel’s mental health training bill signed, with Curry assist
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Reseda, Canoga Park, Van Nuys) won Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature on AB 1626, which requires K-12 sports coaches to be trained to recognize mental health and substance use warning signs in student athletes.
The training covers depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorders and suicidal thoughts, and how to connect a struggling student to help. The law also directs the California Department of Education to build a model training for recreational and club coaches.
Assemblywomen Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey, Norwalk, La Mirada) and Jacqui Irwin co-authored the bill, which passed with bipartisan support. Only one in five coaches say they feel highly confident supporting a student with a mental health or substance use problem, according to Gabriel’s office.
“Coaches are trusted mentors who are often among the first to recognize when a young person is struggling or in crisis. AB 1626 will give youth sports coaches the tools and training they need to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately, and connect young athletes with support,” said Gabriel.
Pacheco said the law works alongside her own AB 1665. Irwin pointed to Sarah Shulze, a Ventura County runner who died by suicide in 2022, as a reason to better equip the adults students trust.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry backed the bill through his Eat. Learn. Play. foundation.
“Every kid deserves that kind of coach, and we’ve been proud to make investments to ensure coaches in Oakland have the tools to be a great leader,” said Curry.
