Please RSVP for "Who Gets to Come Back?"

Dear Neighbors,

Please join ATU and UCLA LPPI on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30pm for our community discussion: Who Gets to Come Back? Tenants and the Future of Altadena After the Eaton Fire. (Simultaneous Spanish translation provided.)

More than one year after the Eaton Fire, Altadena’s recovery remains deeply uneven and tenants are at risk of being left behind. New research from UCLA LPPI finds that most rental units within the fire perimeter show no clear sign of rebuilding, with naturally affordable and rent-stabilized units disproportionately affected. As rebuilding stalls and rents rise, displaced households face shrinking options and a growing risk of permanent displacement.

This webinar, co-hosted by the Altadena Tenants Union and UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, moves beyond documenting the problem to mobilizing solutions. By pairing new data with a panel discussion featuring elected representatives, Altadena tenant organizers, and housing experts, we’ll talk about concrete policy reforms and community strategies needed now to protect renters, stabilize affordable housing, and ensure that Altadena’s recovery includes all of us.

Learn more about our featured panelists below and register here.

SPEAKERS

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, California Senate District 25 (Panelist) 
Senator Sasha Renée Pérez was elected to the 25th Senate District in November 2024. She currently serves as Chair of the Senate Education Committee and the Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education. She also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Budget, Environmental Quality, Human Services, Public Safety, the Joint Committee on the Arts and previously served on the Affordability Working Group. Since joining the California State Senate, Senator Pérez has introduced legislation to support recovery efforts from the Los Angeles Fires, protect immigrant communities, and hold unethical corporations accountable for exploiting workers and consumers. She is spearheading legislative initiatives to combat childhood hunger, support small businesses, and prevent sexual assault on school campuses.

Gabriella Carmona, Senior Research Analyst, UCLA LPPI (Research Presenter) 
Gabriella Carmona is a Senior Research Analyst at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, where she supports the institute’s growing research portfolio on housing and Latino wealth building. Her work leverages urban planning and policy to address social and economic inequities—ranging from democratizing data to reveal spatial disparities, to equipping communities with the tools to shape and redesign their neighborhoods. Gabriella holds a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a B.A. in History and Political Science from Williams College.

 Dr. Katie Clark, Co-Founder, Altadena Tenants Union (Moderator) 
Dr. Katie Clark is a co-founder of the Altadena Tenants Union, established in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire to organize renters and ensure that tenants are aware of their rights. A long-term tenant and resident of Altadena since 2009, Dr. Clark lost her own home in the fire. She also serves as a board member for the Altadena Community Land Trust and an elected trustee and former president of the Altadena Library District Board. Beyond her civic work, Dr. Clark is the founder and principal of The Applied Humanities, a Los Angeles-based consulting agency that supports nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. A former academic historian, she holds a DPhil from Oxford University and is a Marshall and Beinecke Scholar.

Leora Mosman, Co-Founder, Altadena Tenants Union (Panelist)
Leora Mosman is a co-founder and organizer with the Altadena Tenants Union, established in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire to organize and advocate on behalf of Altadena renters impacted by the fire and beyond. Leora was born and raised in Altadena and returned as a first-time renter just a few months before the fire which displaced her from her home. Outside of tenant organizing, Leora works in the LGBTQI+ and immigration sectors where she provides program oversight on community-led initiatives to support LGBTQI+ immigrants. Her approach in all spaces strives to be informed by abolitionist leaders and organizers who think beyond existing systems and structures.

Shannon Larsuel, Board President, Altadena Community Land Trust (Panelist)
Shannon Larsuel is Board President of the Altadena Community Land Trust as well as the Altadena Organizing Lead at Essie Justice Group and a third-generation Altadena resident. Her family has long-standing ties to both Altadena and Pasadena, where they lived before moving to Altadena in the 1960s. In addition to serving as ACLT Board President, Shannon is a neighborhood captain with Altagether. Shannon holds a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology from Yale University and an M.P.H. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Yale School of Public Health. 

Palin Ngaotheppitak, Executive Director, Beacon Housing (Panelist)
Palin Ngaotheppitak is the Executive Director of Beacon Housing Inc., a nonprofit affordable housing developer and operator serving the greater Pasadena and Altadena area since 1996. She leads the organization’s strategic direction, operations, and expanding real estate portfolio, which includes affordable housing for low-income families and transitional housing for women and children escaping domestic violence. She is focused on scaling permanently affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles County. Palin brings over 20 years of cross-sector experience spanning nonprofit leadership, government, and finance. Prior to joining Beacon, she worked in advocacy and communications in Hong Kong, including roles at the Equal Opportunities Commission and KELY Support Group, advancing anti-discrimination policy and youth development initiatives. She began her career in investment banking and consulting, advising corporations and governments on debt capital markets and foreign investment.

Direct Cash for Altadena Recovery Applications Are Open Until May 26th!

Applications opened for our Direct Cash for Altadena Recovery program at 10am on Monday, May 11 and will remain open through 11:59pm on Tuesday, May 26. Do not panic - you can apply any time during the application window and it doesn’t matter, because every application will be reviewed for eligibility and randomized before selection.

The application should be fairly easy (it should not take more than 10-15 minutes to complete) and is available in multiple languages. If you’d prefer to have someone help you with the application, you can sign up for 1:1 assistance virtually or in-person; please check the website for availability.

Still have questions? Attend any of our info sessions, either online or in person (Wednesday, May 20 at 6pm at the Altadena Community Center).

You can also email [email protected] or call (323) 852-8500 ×655 to speak with an application support specialist.

ATU Resource Guide

Have questions or need contact info for county agencies or legal assistance? We collect everything we’ve learned into the Altadena Tenants Union Resource Guide, a living document that we’re updating on a regular basis.