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SCE details rebuild incentives and undergrounding plan for Altadena; homeowners press for cost protections
Summary
Southern California Edison told the Altadena Town Council it will launch appliance and rebuild incentives (Switch and RISE Homes) and intends to underground roughly 63 miles of distribution lines; residents and councilors pressed SCE about right‑of‑entry, interconnection costs for standing homes, and telecom participation.
Southern California Edison representatives briefed the Altadena Town Council on June 16 about financial incentives for electric rebuilds and a targeted undergrounding program intended to reduce wildfire risk and support recovery.
SCE government‑relations manager David Ford introduced program managers who outlined a two‑part assistance package: a local Switch incentive for all‑electric appliances in the Palisades/Eden Fire service area and the statewide RISE Homes program for all‑electric residential rebuilds. "The Switch program... will launch on 08/01/2026," Natalie Flores Rios said, and she directed residents to risehomescalifornia.com and a dedicated hotline ((833) 202‑3654) for RISE Homes assistance.
On infrastructure, SCE project manager Anthony Gallardo described a plan to underground about 63 miles of distribution line, with roughly 20 miles targeted for 2026. He warned that "as of this week, we are at risk of losing around 3 miles of the 20 miles this year due to the right of entry agreements we have not secured yet," and urged property owners to engage with the Arch and SCE outreach staff.
Council members asked whether standing homes that wish to remain connected overhead can avoid new front‑yard poles and who will pay for interconnection to underground service. SCE said standing homes may remain overhead via new stub connections but that there is not yet a finalized funding source to cover interconnection costs. The utility said it has sought CPUC guidance and submitted a request to the commission to allow exemptions to customer interconnection costs and is supporting local and state grant applications (including FEMA hazard‑mitigation funding) to offset those expenses; no funding was confirmed.
Telecom participation and tree protection were also raised. Public commenter Rob Steller said AT&T and Spectrum have not joined Edison’s undergrounding program and warned that their absence will require additional trenching and left telecom poles and cables in yards. SCE said it is coordinating with county offices and other utilities but cannot compel private telecom companies and asked the county to press franchise holders.
Community members pressed SCE about the effect of undergrounding on protected trees and potential scams related to rebuild offers; SCE staff pointed attendees to local SCE help desks (the Arch, the 1‑stop) and to a disaster recovery website (sce.com/disasterrecovery) for verified information.
What residents can do: SCE advised homeowners to sign right‑of‑entry forms when contacted by project staff and to consult the Arch or the one‑stop center for case management and questions about incentives. SCE encouraged residents to contact sceprojects@sce.com for project‑specific inquiries.
Quoted: "We are looking to underground around 63 miles of new distribution lines... Our 2026 plan is to target 20 miles in the community," Anthony Gallardo said. Natalie Flores Rios said of the incentives, "There are stackable incentives... and the dedicated support is one of my favorite parts of this program because there are program staff that can help you throughout the lifetime of your project."
