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Altadena residents say Edison’s undergrounding plan risks trees, costs and community trust
Summary
Multiple residents at the Altadena Town Council meeting urged greater outreach and changes to Southern California Edison’s undergrounding plan, saying vault placement, trenching and homeowner costs threaten surviving trees and could cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars.
Residents told the Altadena Town Council that Southern California Edison’s undergrounding plans in several neighborhoods risk surviving trees, impose unexpected homeowner costs and have proceeded with minimal community outreach.
Multiple public commenters described trenching layouts and transformer vaults placed near tree root zones and said Edison’s contractors did not sufficiently coordinate with affected homeowners. "These two trees were completely untouched by the fire... they're planning to trench right directly in the root zone," one resident said, urging the council to press Edison for alternatives.
Speakers described personal financial impacts. Nancy Rob said she had been quoted an estimated cost of about $30,000 to hook up her property to the new underground service, including trenching, panel upgrades and permitting fees. "Our community has suffered enough," Rob said, adding that many homeowners are displaced and unable to respond quickly.
Others raised concerns about the oak tree ordinance and exemptions that appear to apply to utility contractors but not to homeowners. Robert Stellar said his neighborhood has had little formal communication from Edison and asked the company to engage directly with residents on vault siting and service decisions.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and said they are coordinating with neighbors and will share resident materials with county and Edison representatives. Council member Chipola urged affected residents to contact elected officials and media to amplify their complaints.
Ending: The council encouraged residents to send documents and images to council staff and to attend upcoming utility and AONA (neighborhood association) meetings where Edison is expected to present more details.
