Float riders briefly hold sign seeking fire probe – Orange County Register

The organizations that commissioned a Rose Parade float honoring victims and survivors of the L.A. wildfires said on Thursday that a sign on a float demanding the state’s attorney general investigate county officials over fires was not part of the float.

The “Rising Together” float, commissioned by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, honored those lost in both the Eaton and Palisades fires with 31 sunflowers representing those killed.

In a tribute to the communities of Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, the float entered featured a towering phoenix — an enduring symbol of renewal — as well as California native plants, depictions of the San Gabriel Mountains and shoreline elements.

Fire survivors and representatives from nonprofits who have supported recovery rode on the float and walked alongside.

The float was chosen by parade judges for the Fantasy Award, for “most outstanding display of fantasy and imagination.”

Float riders briefly held a sign which read, “AG Bonta Altadena Demands an Investigation.”

Local organization Altadena Rising posted a photo of the sign on social media and demanded that Los Angeles County officials needed to be held accountable for their inaction during the Eaton fire, which the organization said contributed to the destruction of Altadena.

“The Altadena float carries more than flowers this year, it carries our demand for an investigation into the fire AG Bonta, we need answers,” the social media post read.

But the two nonprofits, while not disavowing the signage outright, said the signage was not part of the float.

“The California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund stand with the community and support the urgency of calls for accountability and justice,” according to a statement. “The signage displayed was not part of float.”

The groups went to to say that the float was created to honor “the courage and resilience of wildfire survivors and to remember those whose lives were forever changed – and those we lost.

“We remain committed to justice for survivors and to walking alongside the community as it recovers, rebuilds and heals.”

Staff writers Christina Merino and Julianna Lozada contributed to this report.