In California's most climate-vulnerable communities—neighborhoods shaped by redlining and disinvestment—trust is scarce. When low-income tenants are asked to adopt unfamiliar technologies like heat pumps and induction stoves, trust becomes the infrastructure determining success. Will bills go down? Will equipment work? For residents who've experienced broken promises, skepticism is survival. Retrofit LA is a three-year collaborative working across 24 affordable housing properties in Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo, and South Los Angeles, demonstrating that when trust is systematically built, skepticism transforms into advocacy. Partners include East LA Community Corporation (30 years in Boyle Heights), Little Tokyo Service Center (serving Asian/Pacific Islander communities since 1979), and Esperanza Community Housing (pioneering promotores models in South LA). Sustento provides strategic coordination and applies the Capital Absorption Framework, connecting community trust-building with capital formation. Our approach includes trust assessments, structured engagement, community visioning where residents select equipment, culturally appropriate demonstrations, multilingual training, utility bill tracking, and resident ambassador programs. When residents experience tangible benefits—lower bills, better air quality—they become ambassadors encouraging neighbors to participate. This trust-building complements work with utilities and financial institutions to reduce systemic barriers. Attendees will learn culturally responsive engagement strategies, approaches for measuring trust, and methods for connecting implementation to policy—with adaptable principles, not prescriptive blueprints. This session centers equity by ensuring communities most impacted by climate change co-design solutions. Equity-centered climate action creates more durable outcomes because it's grounded in community power.