On the evening of January 7th, 2025, ferocious fires engulfed Eaton Canyon near the San Gabriel Mountains. The Eaton fires that ravaged on for almost a month - claiming 17 lives - spread across 14,021 acres, triggering mandatory evacuations from Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre.
The fires, that reached containment on February 1st, left more than just infrastructural damage in its wake. It left the vibrant and beautiful community of Altadena, fragmented.
In an article titled ‘A Past to Restore: The Effects of the Eaton Fire on Altadena’, written by Kayla Graff, an Altadena resident, Keisari Penman, who lost her home to the Eaton fire said, “The best part [of living in Altadena] was being around so many people who provided a sense of comfort and support”. Penman goes on to say, “You had your home, but the whole community felt like a home. There’s a sense of comfort in Altadena that you’ll probably get in no other place.”
This is what building back Altadena is all about. And this is what Ready to Launch Research wants to help do. How do we hope to help? We want to help by donating our Market Research services to organizations involved in rebuilding the Altadena area and community.
In today’s vlog, our Founder and CEO, Jenny Karubian makes a plea to all Los Angeles residents, businesses, and organizations to help find an Altadena based organization looking for free Market Research services that they can leverage to help rebuild Altadena.
Jenny, an LA local and an avid hiker, talks about how the Eaton Fire “hit close to home”. Jenny adds, “I go to Altadena all the time, it’s not far from where I live, it’s only about 10 minutes away and over the weekend my husband and I went and checked out the fire damage and I’ve never seen anything like this in terms of seeing an entire community decimated. You know we’ve all seen things on the news, there’s a variety of ways to help, I’ve done a lot of volunteer work over the past couple of weeks since the fires happened but I want to do something a little more meaningful to help the Altadena community build back.”
She goes on to invite viewers to share the video in the hopes of reaching grassroots organizations in Altadena like schools, libraries, community based organizations or nonprofit organizations that are looking to redevelop Altadena and revive the heart of the community.
Jenny goes on to say, “I’m hoping that whoever sees this video can potentially connect me with the right organization who I can help. Essentially what I’m trying to find is an organization in the Altadena area that is looking to rebuild the community. So, this could be anybody from a school, a library, any kind of community organization that wants to not just rebuild houses in Altadena but actually wants to bring back the community.”
In the mid-19th century, when Benjamin Eaton - a civil engineer - established irrigation systems within the San Gabriel Valley, Altadena was born.
According to Altadena Heritage, Benjamin Eaton went onto establish a successful grape and citrus cultivation, attracting settlers from the Midwest who sought to create a "temperance community." However, the northern ranchers, primarily wine grape growers, resisted integration into Pasadena's city limits, leading to Altadena's separate development.
The subdivision of Altadena began in 1887 by John and Fred Woodbury, who envisioned a wealthy rural suburb. Despite an initial economic downturn, the area attracted affluent residents and saw the development of Thaddeus Lowe’s mountain railway, which boosted tourism.
Agricultural expansion continued, with the cultivation of various fruits and nuts, and business magnates built grand estates, shifting the area's wealth eastward. Altadena also attracted a diverse population, including artists and workers, while maintaining its rural character.
Post-World War II, Altadena experienced significant population growth, fueled by economic expansion and GI benefits, resulting in a housing boom that filled the area with middle-class homes.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the population reached the 40,000s, with approximately 96% being white. The social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, including the Civil Rights movement, led to "white flight" and a significant increase in Altadena's racial diversity.
Today, Altadena is recognized as one of Southern California's most integrated communities, with diverse groups reflected in its civic life.
Jenny speaking about her love for the Altadena community shares, “The Altadena community is very beautiful, it’s been active since the 1960s, it’s highly diverse, it’s very aligned with my personal values and the vision of LA that I see as someone who was born and raised here and so what we want to do is, we want to donate some market research.”
By leveraging our pro bono Market Research solutions, grassroots organizations in Altadena that are looking to breathe life back into the community can expect to:
Get firsthand stories of how individuals, families and the greater community have been affected by the Eaton Fire and consequential displacement
Gain a firm grasp on what Altadena residents need in terms of financial, medical, emotional or other support in order to rebuild their lives
Understand what and how to prioritize rebuilding efforts
Tap into actionable insights that can help create a highly effective strategy for rebuilding Altadena
Understand the duties of the state in facilitating the rebuilding efforts
Jenny shares that, “This will be a project somewhere in the range of US $10,000 - US $20,000 depending on the scope of it and basically I want to donate that work to a grassroots organization.”
Jenny, making her final plea to viewers, says, “So I’m asking you my viewers to please share this video, please connect me with anyone in Altadena who may be able to connect me with the right organization where we can donate these services and help these organizations make an impact.”
Get in touch to learn more about how our Market Research services can help a grassroots organization in their efforts to rebuild Altadena and revive her once vibrant charm
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