Altadena Not For Sale: Neighbors Fight to Keep Their Community Out of Corporate Hands

A volunteer-led movement demands urgent protections after the Eaton Fire

After the Eaton Fire, a message appeared spray-painted on the side of a truck driving down Woodbury: Altadena Not For Sale. Gabriela, who had just lost her home and business, was behind the wheel. That phrase quickly became a rallying cry for residents who feared that disaster would be followed by displacement.

Today, that grassroots warning has grown into a full-scale organizing effort. Altadena Not For Sale (ANFS) is demanding stronger protections for homeowners, renters, and fire survivors being targeted by corporate buyers.

What They Are Responding To

From February to late May, more than 40 percent of local property sales were to LLCs, private equity firms, or other for-profit entities. Many homes were sold within five days of being listed. The trend is accelerating, and ANFS says it threatens to hollow out Altadena's culture, affordability, and resilience.

What They Are Asking For

ANFS is calling on elected officials to:

• Freeze corporate and investor property purchases for at least five years

• Support Senator Sasha Renee Perez’s $200 million Community Land Trust fund proposal

• Back Assemblymember Alex Lee’s bill capping corporate ownership of single-family homes at 1,000 properties statewide

• Provide rebuilding flexibility for fire survivors, including permit fee waivers and code exceptions

• Restore historic architectural character and prevent overdevelopment

What They Have Built

ANFS has:

• Compiled a Google Map showing all local sales to for-profit buyers

• Created a PowerPoint shown to Supervisor Barger and Senator Perez’s offices

• Coordinated data collection with realtors and neighbors to analyze MLS trends

• Grown their Stop the Land Grab petition to over 860 signatures

• Distributed hundreds of yard signs, flyers, bumper stickers, and T-shirts

• Hosted protests, caravans, and Zoom calls with recovery-focused contractors

• Released videos like Altadena Collective and Keep Altadena Home: Build Back Together

• Joined forces with Dena Rise Up, participating in street actions and distributing materials under a shared call for #PeopleOverProfits

Taking the Message to the Airwaves

On June 11, ANFS organizer Melissa appeared on NPR’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle to discuss the crisis live on air alongside a local realtor. The conversation focused on investor pressure, disaster vulnerability, and whether the current wave of sales is preventable. Altadena residents were invited to call in and speak for their neighborhoods.

Listen for yourself - “Updates on LA Protests, Aging and Sex, Rebuilding in Altadena, Art Deco Los Angeles, and more!” from the June 11 episode

What You Can Do

1. Sign and share the petition: Stop the Land Grab

2. Call your reps and ask for immediate action:

   • Congresswoman Judy Chu: (626) 304-0110

   • Supervisor Kathryn Barger: (213) 974-5555

   • Assemblyman John Harabedian: (916) 319-2041

   • Senator Sasha Renee Perez: (626) 304-1086

3. Forward ANFS materials to your neighbors and community groups

4. Get involved or follow the work: linktr.ee/altanot4sale
   IG & FB: @altanot4sale

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This is a volunteer-led group of neighbors, not affiliated with any political party or nonprofit. Their materials and public records are being used by residents across Altadena to understand the scope of post-fire real estate speculation and push back before it's too late.