More than a year after the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County history tore through the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, residents of a luxury Altadena community are facing a new crisis – a $23,614 homeowners association (HOA) bill and just 34 days to pay it.
The Eaton fire, one of two enormous blazes that ignited on 7 January 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures across the region.
In La Vina, a gated community on the northwest edge of Altadena, 52 of its 272 homes were entirely lost. More than 70 per cent are now being rebuilt, with repairs to shared spaces also underway.
But despite this progress, the “special assessment” by the HOA and the bill it comes with has triggered a bitter feud in the community, pitting neighbor against neighbor and prompting litigation against residents whose homes burned to the ground, the LA Times reports.
The HOA announced the fee on 29 July 2025, giving homeowners until 1 September that year to pay. Those who missed the deadline faced late fees, 12 per cent annual interest, and the threat of a lien – making the properties legally-binding collateral even if the homes themselves no longer existed.
Now, the HOA has reportedly followed through, filing a lawsuit seeking foreclosure on the empty lot of a resident whose home was destroyed.
“It’s trouble in paradise,” said resident Ryan Harmon, who is leading local opposition to the HOA bill. Harmon’s home was damaged by smoke, and he has been living in a rental since the fire. He said he was branded a troublemaker simply for asking questions.
“I’ve created enemies,” he said. “The fire brought everyone together until that HOA letter went out.”
The Independent has attempted to contact the HOA for comment. The LA Times said it had approached multiple times with no response.
Where the money is going?
According to the HOA presentation, the special assessment is needed to cover $6.4m in damages not covered by the HOA's disaster insurance.
The bill reportedly includes $2.2 million for irrigation, $1.8 million for fencing, $1.5 million for replanting shrubs and trees, and the cost of additional cleanup and service costs.
Some homeowners’ insurance policies cover unexpected HOA assessments, while others have disputed the scale of the bills. Supporters of the fee argue the amount is the minimum needed to restore the neighborhood.
Harmon disagrees. “The number feels way too high for some new plants and pipes,” he said, claiming that the HOA never provided a detailed breakdown.
After months of resisting, and accumulating thousands in penalties, Harmon said he ultimately paid the fee using a $29,000 insurance payout meant to clean smoke‑damaged clothing.
“Who treats their friends and neighbors so heartlessly after the greatest catastrophe of their lives?” he said. “Not every resident has $24,000 lying around months after their house burned.”
HOA's handling of situation has supporters and detractors
Resident Rick Ursitti, whose home was destroyed in the fire, said he was frustrated by the situation.
“My insurance covered the assessment, but that doesn’t mean I say ‘tough luck’ to the others,” he said. “I didn’t like the way it was handled.”
He said residents were blindsided and that the HOA could have offered alternatives, such as loans or installment plans. “They could’ve spread out the cost over time instead of telling us we owe $23,000 by tomorrow,” he said.
However, some people in the community support the special assessment and have said the fee is necessary. Longtime residents Rande and Jess Sotomayor, who have lived in La Vina since 1998, said the HOA acted appropriately and transparently.
“The HOA wasn’t acting in a vacuum,” Rande said. “There was a lot of input; they had an accounting firm auditing the numbers and a law firm monitoring their compliance.”
But legal experts have expressed surprise at the scale of the bills.
Attorney Luke Carlson, who has written about HOA disputes, said he was "appalled" by the situation in La Vina.
“It seems somewhat outrageous,” he told the LA Times. “This is a situation where a homeowner has lost everything, and I don’t see how aggressive litigation solves any problems.”
This isn’t La Vina’s first legal battle. In the 1990s, the HOA fenced off a public hiking trail, sparking a lengthy legal brouhaha with Los Angeles County that ended in 2010 with the trails reopened and the HOA forced to cough up for the legal fees.
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