CA DOJ to investigate racial discrimination in Altadena fire

California Attorney General Rob Bonta claims “compelling evidence” has prompted him to launch an investigation into whether racial discrimination played a role in the disastrous response to the Altadena Fire that killed 19 people last year.

Bonta’s office, however, declined to provide further details.

The state’s chief law enforcement official will look into whether race, age or disability discrimination contributed to the emergency preparations and delayed response in the historically black community of West Altadena.

“Today, the California Department of Justice formally announces an investigation into the emergency response during the 2025 Eaton Fire,” Bonta said Thursday.

“Specifically, we’ll be looking at whether the systems and structures at play contributed to a delay in the County’s evacuation notice and possible disparities in emergency response in West Altadena.”

He added, “The West Altadena community rang the alarm and brought compelling evidence to the attention of my office,” he added.

“We know that evacuation warnings for the historically black neighborhood of West Altadena came many hours after these same warnings were sent to the rest of Altadena.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that West Altadena “received delayed evacuation alerts” hours after the fire started.

Bonta said the community of West Altadena deserves answers and institutions they can trust.

“We must let the facts uncovered by our investigation determine what went wrong here,” the AG said. “As the People’s Attorney, I and the entirety of the California Department of Justice work for the People. I thank the communities that reached out, spoke up, and organized during a time of immense grief, loss, and rebuilding.”

The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres and destroyed over 9,000 buildings, becoming one of the deadliest fires in the state’s history.

Bonta said the DOJ investigation will focus specifically on potential violations of civil rights laws, and other legal questions that fall under the department’s purview.

The AG’s announcement follows a UCLA study last year that found that 61% of black households in Altadena were located within the fire perimeter, compared with 50% of non-black households.

It also found that nearly half (48%) of black households were leveled or seriously damaged, compared with 37% experienced by non-black households.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has come under fire for the response to the deadly blazes, including for leaving the country just days before they ripped through Southern California, leaving the city unprepared.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Earlier this week, The California Post obtained the original draft of the Palisades After-Action Fire Report — before it was quietly altered and released to the public.

One of the most damning edits had to do with language acknowledging insufficient resources to “suppress a wind-driven vegetation fire,” with the department attempting to be “fiscally responsible by not fully augmenting and pre-deploying all available resources in preparation for a rare wind event.”

Bonta’s office did not give specifics as to what “compelling evidence” his office had.

“While DOJ is committed to transparency, in order to protect the integrity of this investigation, no further updates can be given at this time,” a rep said.