We Love L.A.

There are many Third Actors who live in Los Angeles, and many who have lost their houses and other precious belongings to these catastrophic fires. We asked our community for resources and first-hand stories. The responses are below.

Here is my experience from last Wednesday, after both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire had broken out.

I was given about 10 minutes to evacuate from the Sunset Fire in Runyon Canyon—less than a mile from my house. Thanks to the quick efforts of the LAFD, I was able to return home the next morning. I am very lucky; many, many others in Los Angeles cannot say the same. Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and many do not know if their homes will still be standing when the evacuation order ends. There is ash falling from the sky, and many of us are scared to go outside for fear of what we might be inhaling. I am a third-generation Angeleno, and it breaks my heart to see my city go up in such violent, fast-moving flames. At the same time, I am moved by the residents working together and collaboratively to keep as many people safe, housed, and fed as possible.

Climate change, and the climate events that come with it, is not happening tomorrow. It is happening now, very obviously in the populous city of Los Angeles. Without action, it will come for all of us. Without divestment from fossil fuels, investment in clean energy, a commitment to Indigenous land stewardship, and community solidarity, it will be in your backyard as quickly as it has come to mine.

Shannon, a Third Actor, shares some thoughts on experiencing the most recent fires as well as the 2018 Woosley fire:

This tragic round of fires has many Angelenos, like myself, reliving emotionally the losses of the 2018 Woolsey fire, feeling heartbroken for those now in pain similar to and worse than what we experienced.

In the aftermath of my family’s loss, I felt compelled to speak up about the climate crisis. I made a call for change to a packed city council meeting, which led to an article in a local paper. I raised funds for the UCLA Center for Climate Science through a bike tour of the California coast. Now, six moves and as many years later, my permanent—all electric, solar-powered—home may be ready to occupy soon.

All I could think of after Woolsey was the opportunity to change, to rebuild better and more sustainably. The devastation of the most recent blazes opens yet another inroad for us to mitigate the climate crisis by rebuilding intentionally. Every lost structure to be reconstructed–and reimagined–presents a huge opportunity for our environment, for our county, for our families, for the clean energy revolution.

We Angelenos are visionaries with outsized imaginations. If anyone can do it, we can. We can build a sustainable LA. We can rise stronger than ever before. We can turn the call for hope and renewal into something tangible for generations to come. Now is the time to seize opportunity within tragedy and transform the way our beautiful region runs, the way it is built, the priorities it sets.

I am preaching to the choir. Third Actors are some of the most engaged, intelligent, thoughtful climate organizers out there. Thank you for committing your time and energy to this fight. Below, you will find some resources we have compiled from the community. If you are a Southern California-based Third Actor, I hope you are somewhere safe. My heart is with you. This city is as great as the people in it, and you are magnificent.

Resources for those wishing to donate time, money, space, or supplies:

• Volunteering and item donations: 
  • Mutual Aid LA has an excellent, thorough guide of donation needs and volunteer opportunities throughout the city.
  • L.A. Works can connect you with non-profit organizations to volunteer with.
• Donations:
  • Many displaced families have their own personal fundraisers set up; here are a few directories that include some of these
    • Directory of GoFundMe fundraisers to support displaced Black families of Altadena
    • Directory of GoFundMe fundraisers to support displaced Latine families of Altadena
    • Directory of GoFundMe fundraisers to support displaced Filipino families
    • GoFundMe’s landing page for all wildfire-related fundraisers
  • California Community Foundation’s Wildlife Recovery Fund
  • Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
  • The Pasadena Humane Society, which is boarding displaced pets and suppling those in need with pet food and medical care
  • The National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which is supporting the Pasadena Community Job Center
  • California Domestic Workers Coalition, which is collecting donations for day laborers and domestic workers who have lost their homes or their jobs—or both—due to the fires
  • Third Actor Jeff shares: “Many faith communities have disaster and emergency response funds. My Christian denominations (the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) each have funds for emergency response and have issued appeals to specifically respond to the fires. One of the reasons I especially like giving through my church is that the church response is there for the long haul and pays attention for ways to help that the government and big agencies ignore or miss. People will fall through the cracks and the church can help them. The recovery will take years and the church isn’t going away. Even for the local congregations that have lost their buildings, they will still be there offering grassroots , neighborhood assistance. Plus, typically, the overhead for the fundraising is already paid for, so I know that 100% of my giving will help people.”

Resources for those displaced and in need of clothing, food, federal funds, or other items:

• FEMA Assistance: Apply for FEMA assistance here.
• Food/water/masks/other items: Mutual Aid LA has an excellent, thorough guide with locations offering N95 masks, food, water, and more.
• Insurance: LAist has an excellent guide to get you started on insurance claims.
• Childcare: The YMCAs across the greater Los Angeles area are offering childcare as well as temporary shelter, showers, basic amenities, and mental health support.
• Vital records: If you have been directly impacted by the fires, you can request property and vital records (i.e., birth, death, marriage) free of charge by calling 800-201-8999 or emailing recorder@rrcc.lacounty.gov
• Housing: 
  • Hotel listings with availability and discount information and for those who have been evacuated
  • 211LA has partnered with Airbnb to offer free temporary housing to some people; you can apply here.

Christine, Senior Communications Manager

Christine has worked at the intersection of communications, external affairs, and event management for over a decade, with experience at institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daily Kos—where she also engaged in digital organizing for climate justice—and most recently, Sempervirens Fund, a land trust dedicated to protecting the redwood forests of California’s Santa Cruz mountains. Outside of work, she’s a poet, and currently working on her second book which explores the racialized history of oil and gas drilling in Los Angeles. As you might have guessed, she lives in LA (though she can be found in New York pretty regularly, too).