Rep. Chu Statement on Attorney General Bonta’s Civil Rights Investigation into Delayed Eaton Fire Response in Western Altadena

PASASDENA, CA  –  Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) issued the following statement in response to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s announcement that the California Department of Justice will launch an independent civil rights investigation into whether anti-discrimination and disability rights laws were violated during delayed emergency response and evacuation orders affecting western Altadena during the Eaton Fire.

“One year ago, the Eaton Fire took the lives of 19 of our neighbors. Of those 19 lives lost, 18 resided in the historically Black community of western Altadena and the majority were elderly and disabled. Since then, we have learned critical information about significant delays in emergency response and evacuation warnings in western Altadena that contributed to this disproportionate loss of life and devastation. But we have been lacking one important question about those delays: why they occurred in the first place. That's why I have long called for an independent investigation and for our local, state, and federal authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that we will be prepared for the next disaster so such a failure never happens again," said Rep. Judy Chu. "I welcome Attorney General Bonta’s investigation into whether western Altadenans’ civil rights were violated due to these astounding delays, and I look forward to reviewing the results of this investigation and ensuring that these systemic failures are addressed in a timely and transparent manner. We owe it to the victims, survivors, and their families to ensure that these evacuation delays and failures are never repeated.”