Watch – HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Supervisor Kathryn Barger Talk Restoring Altadena After Eaton Fire Devastation

By admin On Mar 7, 2025

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner visited the Eaton Fire devastation in Altadena on Thursday, where he discussed the recovery efforts with L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

During a press conference held outside Fair Oaks Burger – one of the few business that miraculously survived the fire – Breitbart News was on the scene and asked the secretary what guarantees can be offered on restoring Altadena to its historic character.

“What’s unique about Altadena is that this is a historic neighborhood – architectural gems just went up in smoke and in the rebuilding process – what guarantees can be made that the neighborhood will still retain its character, especially for people who are feeling pressure in selling their land right now?” asked Breitbart News reporter Paul Bois.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner said that the people of Altadena have shown a tremendous resolve in the wake of the disaster, emphasizing that their persistence will keep the neighborhood from losing its character:

As I said before that the resolve of the people is very encouraging to me. I played a professional sport and one thing that separated good teams from great teams was the resolve and how you overcame adversity and how you overcame difficulties during a particular game or situation and I see that in an even greater level here in the people that have been devastated by these wildfires.

“But there’s no quit. There’s not a give up attitude here. There’s not a victim attitude here,” he continued. “There’s a victorious attitude here. I’m encouraged in that.”

The secretary did say that efforts will be made to lift as much regulatory red tape as possible so that people can get back to rebuilding their homes as soon as possible. He concluded:

As servant leaders, when you see the people that have a resolve such as this, we need to do everything we can to help people to serve our neighbors, to serve our families, to ease the regulatory environment, to make it better and easier for families to rebuild and restore. I’m encouraged to work with the supervisor and the people here.

Watch: HUD Secretary Draws on Faith in Christ to Inspire Rebuilding of Altadena and Palisades

Supervisor Kathryn Barger agreed that Altadena will require a more sensitive approach to restore its character, adding that the county has been forging relationships with qualified architects and even created a “Land Bank” for families who might be tempted to sell their land to developers amid the mounting pressure. She said:

If you look around at these homes, you can’t build them like that anymore. One of the things I hear from the residents of Altadena is they want to keep that character, that uniqueness, and my commitment is a bottom-up approach. Not government telling the community what they can rebuild with, but giving the community options and the ability to make those decisions, recognizing that we have the best of the best as it relates to architects here in LA County and many of them have stepped up and said, ‘We want to be a part of the rebuild effort.

The supervisor understood that a one-size-fits-all approach would not suit Altadena regarding architecture and stressed that the county and city will be working hard to maintain the city’s historic character. Barger also referenced the city’s history of redlining, which helped in it becoming a historic black neighborhood above Pasadena. She concluded:

For those that are struggling with whether they want to stay or not, we’re also looking to put together a land bank or a land trust, so that people can know that we are focused on keeping and maintaining the character of Altadena as we move forward, especially when you look at the rich history as it relates to the red-lining that was done here. It’s important for us to protect that history and actually build on it with lessons learned.

The Eaton Fire destroyed nearly 9,500 structures, displacing thousands of people, causing an estimated $10 billion in loses while severely damaging the local economy.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.