California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed charges against a real estate agent accused of price gouging a family evacuated due to the Los Angeles Eaton Fire. The investigation, conducted by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), found that the agent allegedly offered a rental home in Glendale at a price exceeding the listed rate by more than 50%. This is beyond the 10% limit established under Penal Code section 396 during emergency declarations.
Attorney General Bonta emphasized his commitment to preventing exploitation during disasters. "In the face of natural disaster, we should be coming together to help our neighbors, not attempting to profit off of their pain," he stated. He urged the public to report any such incidents and highlighted DOJ's efforts, which include sending over 650 warning letters to hotels and landlords accused of similar practices.
The DOJ is actively investigating price gouging cases in Los Angeles County, deploying resources to address fraud and scams during the state of emergency declared on January 7, 2025. A dedicated website has been launched for this purpose: oag.ca.gov/LAFires.
California law prohibits charging prices that exceed pre-emergency rates by more than 10%, or post-emergency costs by more than 50%, for essential goods and services. Violators face criminal prosecution with penalties including imprisonment and fines up to $10,000, as well as civil actions with penalties up to $2,500 per violation.
The Attorney General encourages victims of price gouging to report incidents through local authorities or directly via oag.ca.gov/LAfires. Detailed information about correspondences and transactions should be provided when reporting.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.