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An unimaginable, bone-chilling greater than 12,000 properties are estimated to have been misplaced for the reason that begin of 2025 (a mere 17 days in the past) in Los Angeles County because of the damaging mixture of varied fires and windstorms. This implies actual property professionals are first responders, who could also be grappling with their very own losses.
What a devastating tragedy that has decimated each Malibu mansions and “forever homes” of legacy residents, who could also be “house rich but cash poor,” making rebuilding seem to be a herculean effort.
Strikingly, there’s been quite a lot of commentary about and give attention to the richest celebrities who’ve misplaced properties this week, which once more is unhappy and tragic. However not like folks, fires don’t draw a distinction at school or superstar; fires don’t discriminate.
So let’s increase consciousness amongst actual property first responders about maybe a little-known historic neighborhood the place lives, properties and goals have been upended because of the 2025 California windstorms and fires.
The razing of Altadena, California
On this video, hear the firsthand expertise of a 30-year home-owner describing shedding his dwelling to the LA County fires right here. Sadly, there are numerous first-person story accounts like this, however did you discover one thing in that gentleman’s story? He stated he lived west of Lake Avenue and drew consideration to that line of demarcation twice.
It was not unusual inside our lifetimes that Black shoppers had been solely proven properties west of Lake Avenue, not east, and white shoppers had been proven properties east and never west.
Much like the “8 Mile Wall” in Detroit or “The Berlin Wall” in Atlanta, Lake Avenue was a racial dividing line the place actual property professionals upheld a infamous apply known as steering. Though steering has been unlawful for the reason that 1963 Rumford Truthful Housing Act in California (notably, 5 years earlier than the federal act), we all know that the apply has continued into this century like in different components of the nation (for instance, Lengthy Island Divided).
Discover the “redlined” components of Altadena, together with west of Lake Avenue, which was hit exhausting by the 2025 Eaton Fires. Supply: Richmond.edu
So as to add insult to damage, “redlining”, which turned unlawful federally in 1968 however nonetheless occurs right now, occurred west of Lake Avenue, too, (see map). That has meant that Black residents, who’ve been the second largest demographic in Altadena since earlier than 1960, with white being the biggest demo, traditionally confronted greater rates of interest (if mortgage loans had been even accredited), depressed property values and even some divestment as a consequence of merely being Black.
With out easy accessibility to capital nor truthful lending as a consequence of once-legal racial discrimination, actual property improvement and progress paled compared to different non-Black pockets of LA County. That left the culturally wealthy neighborhood of Altadena prone to outdoors buyers who usually lack neighborhood roots and care and whose entry to capital has not been diminished by their pores and skin coloration as a result of they aren’t Black.
However like many communities that Black Individuals have been relegated to, similar to Greenwood “Black Wall Street,” Oklahoma; Oscarville, Georgia; and Rosewood, Florida, to call just some, we have now made lemonade. Altadena is not any exception, because it has been a Black enclave (dwelling to famend artists like MacArthur Genius writer Octavia E. Butler) and an oasis of generational homeownership, beating the nationwide common.
Combat fireplace with fireplace equity
In brief, most of the properties west of Lake Avenue have been owned for many years by households who didn’t have another choices at one time as a consequence of authorized but unfair housing practices earlier than 1968 and unlawful, unfair practices with usually no repercussions since 1968.
So whereas each dwelling, each enterprise and, most significantly, each life that has been misplaced is a real tragedy, for among the residents, discrimination decided the place they might and couldn’t stay. Now, fireplace has taken even that away.
However historical past doesn’t need to rhyme or repeat. Throughout my final truthful housing persevering with training course of 2024, earlier than the Christmas break, a proud 65-year-old participant requested earlier than the workshop started, “I’m glad we are focusing more on fair housing now, but in all these years since 1968, I wonder why Realtors are more concerned and involved than ever before?”
Because the American dream of homeownership is turning into tougher to achieve with rising unaffordability and uninsurability (notably in coastal areas like LA County), the very last thing we as neighbors want is to need to struggle unfair housing on prime of all the pieces else.
As the entire communities struck by tragedy regroup, actual property professionals have an obligation to make sure that the phantom menaces of unfair housing — steering, redlining, gentrification, appraisal bias, insurance coverage bias, compelled displacement, denial of promised advantages, subprime loans, discriminatory CC&Rs, and many others. — and different predatory practices like worth gouging don’t impede (re)constructing generational homeownership.
As actual property first responders, let’s be conscious to struggle fireplace with fireplace equity. Simply three examples of actual property execs main the best way embody:
Sasha Darling, who misplaced her dwelling to the fires, has been sharing sources to assist others keep away from promoting to predatory builders.
The Oppenheim Group has supplied to signify and credit score the fee to anybody displaced and who has been calling out unlawful worth gouging by landlords).
The Gathering Spot’s LA coworking house presents what it does greatest: day house and shelter, together with donations from members, heat meals, and web entry for those that have been displaced.
Dr. Lee Davenport is an actual property coach/educator and writer who trains actual property brokers to offer entry and alternative in actual property. Join along with her on Instagram.
