SCE outlines undergrounding plan for Altadena rebuild as residents raise cost and tree concerns

Southern California Edison (SCE) presented its Altadena rebuild and undergrounding plan to the Altadena Town Council on March 17, saying the utility is prioritizing about 63 miles of distribution lines for undergrounding in areas affected by the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

"We are equally committed to transparency and community engagement," SCE senior manager Brad Pensac told the council. He said SCE was in construction on roughly four miles of undergrounding and expected more segments to begin in April, naming the Rosebud and Marathon work as nearing completion.

Pensac said the project includes circuits inside the high-fire-risk area and other severely damaged neighborhoods. He described standard construction steps: civil trenching to install conduits and pad-mounted structures, then later placement of electrical cable and cutovers from overhead to underground.

Nut graf: The utility said the work is intended to reduce wildfire risk and improve system resilience, but residents and council members pressed SCE on who will pay for the private-side civil work to connect homes to underground service, how equipment placement will affect sidewalks and legacy trees, and how customer communications will improve.

SCE said customers generally bear civil costs on private property to connect to underground service. "The numbers we went through last year were anywhere between $8 and $10,000 per home," Pensac said, adding that the actual price depends on property configuration, foundation work and other site-specific factors. He said SCE is seeking potential relief mechanisms, including regulatory options and coordination with county FEMA applications.

Several council members and residents questioned pad-mounted transformer placement and the possibility of underground vaults. Pensac said the above-ground padmounts are the company standard because they reduce long-term safety and maintenance risks and lower lifetime costs compared with subsurface vaults.

On tree protection, Pensac said SCE deploys certified in-house arborists and construction techniques such as hydro-vac (water-jet) trenching and hand-digging near root zones to limit damage. "We work with the community and LA County arborists and will make changes when it makes sense," he said.

Pensac also outlined SCE's voluntary wildfire recovery compensation program. He said the direct-claims program has received 2,694 submissions, produced 821 settlement offers totaling roughly $248.9 million, and resulted in 123 payments or payments-in-process totaling about $31.3 million.

Council members pressed for clearer, earlier notification to property owners, and asked whether overhead lines will be removed if individual homeowners opt not to pay to connect. Pensac said standing homes can remain on overhead service without cost while SCE pursues undergrounding of primary distribution; cutovers to remove the specific overhead segment are done after underground circuits are energized.

The council asked SCE to provide a dedicated local contact and a project hub. Pensac said SCE is opening an Altadena Rebuild Community Hub and a dedicated phone and email (projectsce.com) to support residents who need one-on-one assistance.

Ending: SCE repeated that many placements and connections are negotiable during design and that the company will work with homeowners, county agencies and council members on site-specific solutions. Community members at the meeting called for a pause, broader utility coordination (including cable and telecom), and regulatory review to limit homeowner out-of-pocket costs.