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March 13, 2026 / 4:40 PM PDT / CBS LA
An Altadena property owner and landlord said he has accepted Southern California Edison's Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program payment to begin rebuilding his properties destroyed by last year's Eaton Fire.
Michael Astalis lost five multi-home properties, totaling 16 structures, including his own home, on Jan. 7, 2025.
"I accept the settlement offer by Edison, and I consider it fair, equitable, and in my opinion, Edison did an excellent job in trying to meet the community's needs and compensate for its losses in record time," Astalis said at a Friday news conference.
Attorney Ben Crump kicked off Friday's news conference, saying that he hopes those who lost their homes to the wildfire get fair compensation, according to what they are comfortable with.
"We are here with the single objective of helping our clients get the best situation they possibly can to start to rebuild their homes, rebuild their lives, and rebuild their community," Crump said, noting that everybody has unique situations. He said it's up to his clients to determine what's best for them.
Some survivors, such as Kara Vallow and her partner Mark, decided not to settle with SoCal Edison.
"Money that SCE is giving out of their compensation is far from adequate," she said.
Her biggest criticism of the settlement program was that recipients forfeit their right to file a lawsuit against the utility company.
While the cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation, [evidence suggests that SCE's equipment](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/socal-edison-transmission-towers-eaton-fire-investigation/) might have sparked the fire, which is the basis of lawsuits filed.
"I personally am fighting with everything I've got to make sure that Altadena doesn't become California's (Hurricane) Katrina, where so many of our people lost everything, even the generational wealth they had in their home that they were going to pass onto their children," Crump said.
As the utility company pays out settlements, it has also [filed cross-complaints](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/socal-edison-sues-los-angeles-county-others-over-eaton-fire/) against Los Angeles County area water agencies and SoCalGas. SoCal Edison claims a series of missteps made the Eaton Fire more deadly.
Edison launched the compensation program in late October, and so far, over 2,000 claims have been submitted with 123 payments made, totaling $31.3 million.
"The program provided offers and payments ahead of the program schedule. Offers began to be made within 30 days, and the first payment was issued on Dec. 15," Edison wrote in a statement. In all, 776 offers have been made to nearly 2,000 individuals, totaling more than $237 million.