State leaders are working to provide mortgage relief in the wake of January’s wildfires in Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a multi-million dollar package for victims of recent natural disasters, with $100 million available for direct relief for homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Another $25 million would help fund mortgage counseling. This money will be critical for LA County, where 12,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in the Palisades and Eaton fires. 

Altadena is one of the few communities in LA County that has been a haven to generations of Black families. Many of those families say they will stay and rebuild and continue their families’ legacies. On this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae sits down with Veronica Jones, president of the Altadena Historical Society, to learn more about the deep-rooted Black history of Altadena, in the wake of the wildfires. 

Spectrum New’s Rae Williams also introduces us to Miss Dorothy, a 97-year-old longtime Altadena resident, who lost her home in the Eaton Fire. Her story is full of gratitude and finding beauty in life. 

Also on this week’s episode, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson sits down with McRae for Black History Month. She discussed several of her priorities for this legislative session.

The former chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus recently introduced a new constitutional amendment aimed at abolishing every day de facto slavery practices that remain inside state prisons. Proposition 6, a similar attempt, failed at the ballot box last November, despite not having any formal opposition. 

"I'm really looking forward to getting this across the finish line through the legislative process back to the voters,” Wilson said. “And I believe with the amount of time to educate voters, they will see why it is a moral imperative to remove this language from our constitution.”

Send us your thoughts to InFocusSoCal@charter.com and watch at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sundays.