After the Ashes: A Beautiful Altadena Podcast

Episode 24: Read the Room – Philanthropy and More Cracks in Recovery and Accountability

• Shawna Dawson Beer

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On our last episode before we head into a holiday hiatus and the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, Episode 24 takes another look at the question many in the community keep asking: where is the money going. We revisit the role of philanthropy in the fire recovery digging into the oft nebulous world of fiscal sponsorship. We talk about what happens when transparency is thin, accountability is diffuse, and organizations begin to show strain. Shrinking budgets, stalled programs, and in some cases, folding altogether. Steadfast LA enters the chat with a Steadfast Altadena chapter. What does that mean for local recovery efforts, governance, and influence? Plus, we unpack last night’s County Town Hall with first responders—a meeting that was barely promoted, sparsely attended (less than 10 people total). What does meaningful engagement look like nearly a year after disaster, and why does the community continue to be left out of the conversation?

Instead of our usual small business shout-out, we close this episode with a comprehensive rundown of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire on January 7. Find the full list and details in the notes section of the Beautiful Altadena Substack.

This episode isn’t about stirring outrage it’s about taking stock. Before the anniversary. Before the next phase of recovery. Before the narrative gets rewritten without the people who lived it. Rest up and take care of yourselves. We’ll see you on the other side of the break with new episodes on January 13, 2026. 

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to After the Ashes, the Beautiful Altanina podcast, breaking down legislation and recovery after the fire. It's your co-host Shauna here, and this is episode 24.

SPEAKER_01:

Crazy, eh?

SPEAKER_00:

It is crazy. It's our final episode of the year. We are recording on December 16th. Um, and we it's, you know, we've still got a lot to talk about, don't we, Steve? You want to read our pithy title?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yes. Follow the money. Philanthropy Power and the First Cracks in the Fire Recovery.

SPEAKER_00:

I just like follow the money. We should probably just say follow the money. That should be the theme of the entire year.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, anyway.

SPEAKER_00:

And definitely next year. Though I don't know. I'm gonna make my 2026 predictions right now. Next year will be the year of the lawsuit. The lawsuit and the investigation.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, uh, or that's my prediction. Or how the rebuild comes. It all depends on how the media wants to cover this.

SPEAKER_00:

I hear you, but I think uh And we have an election coming up.

SPEAKER_01:

We do we have some serious themes running through Al Tedena. That's right. And we aren't just gonna be a prop when it comes to these uh governatorial campaigns.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's gonna be a put up or shut up moment for um a number of our electeds in particular. Where either you're gonna have to step up, do what the community needs to be done, or the community is going to end up suing you to ensure that those things are done. And I I know of multiple lawsuits bro brewing on multiple fronts, which is why I was saying my prediction for 26 is that it will be the year of the lawsuit, because I would love to think that everyone will do the right thing. But I am not gonna hold my breath at this point. Um because the trend is your friend.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I have spent a lot of time having to sue governmental entities in my years. And um sometimes that's the only way you get things done.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. And I hope it doesn't come to that, but it's kind of feeling that way.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep. So we're gonna keep this one short. Uh I have a pressing engagement that I have to reach.

SPEAKER_00:

We're actually gonna keep our um 30-minute uh time limit if we can on this one. I think we will. I think I think we will actually. So, you know, our media roundup for today is gonna be a little bit lighter, other than um me pointing out. Come on, don't. Then me pointing out that everybody should um do a quick Google for um a news segment last week on local MBC4 that um was on a really sweet project that was happening in ornaments project.

SPEAKER_01:

It was all my wife, it had nothing to do with that.

SPEAKER_00:

St. Mark's, it's Kate's good work, but for whatever reason, I think Kate could not be on camera.

SPEAKER_01:

She had an appointment, so I wouldn't. And so Steve took off the team. Yeah, I did the uh stand-in, which was not nearly as good as she could have been.

SPEAKER_00:

But if you want to see Steve um looking mildly awkward on the news because he does not particularly enjoy being on camera, please look up that lovely little segment.

SPEAKER_01:

Face for radio, that's all I gotta say.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh shit. It's he's he's full of it. He's full of it. It's it was a very it's a very sweet bit. So I think we're gonna jump into the meat of today's topic. Um, I think today we wanted to kind of revisit one of our favorite subjects, philanthropy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that this has been an interesting one because, you know, I I'd say in the last week, as we've been starting to dial up over on the Substack for those of you that the three of you that read it. I think we're down to three because I keep losing subscribers. Um it's a free Substack, ironically enough. Um the uh this question about reading between the lines is starting to become more evident. Um, the idea of filling the gaps, like we have an official narrative. Uh as I like to say to Shauna, you know, we think about it from on the macro level, you have these long form articles like Justin did over at time. And it's those little ones that are filling this narrative, that there are these gaps that exist between the little ones and the big one, and where that official narrative exists and what's kind of going on behind the scenes. And you know, for those who are readers and listeners, you know, that's where my fascination lies. And that's what I've been trying to do is to try to uh, you know, illuminate those areas. And, you know, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal last week that I read. It was about fiscal sponsors. Now, for those of you that don't know what fiscal sponsors are, they are basically I can use an organization that is a 501c3 to help raise money or do something good for a cause, and that my organization or my event might do, but I don't need to be a full 501c3 because there's a process, it takes about 90 days. It's not that hard to get it, and especially if you're going to be standing up an organization for a longer period of time, you would do that. And you know, originally a fiscal sponsor can sort of be like that bridge to get you there. Um but this was an article that started going into the other side of fiscal sponsorship where it allows for causes to escape the same scrutiny that 501c3s do. Because look, at the end of the day, a 501c3 is it's a private nonprofit, but it benefits from the ability to receive money without that's tax-free. And to do so, there's sort of an accountability component that goes with that. The trade-off is You have a board. I have a board that I'm responsible to, and that board is public and my financials are disclosed. It takes a couple of years for them to be disclosed, but they get disclosed nevertheless. And the idea is that there has to be some transparency to this if I'm gonna benefit from the tax status that I'm receiving. The fiscal sponsorship allows organizations to bypass that accountability and rely on someone else to do it.

SPEAKER_00:

And the idea is that, you know, I just want to preface this because it's um this is how frankly a number of our grassroots orgs here in Altadena have managed to survive this year is through fiscal sponsorship. It takes some time to set up an actual um, you know, nonprofit org, an MPO. It takes time to then develop a board to get your tax um uh status set up, all of this. It doesn't matter, it does and it doesn't, but it is it is a little bit of a hurdle. You can get through it. But the idea was to be quick and nimble that to cut out that piece for a lot of these orgs to just give them a fiscal sponsor who could run money for them, take donations on their their behalf, and you know, get them up and running quickly. But then the, you know, to your point, that does the uh assumption is that they will soon after become a formal MPO with all of the oversight and transparency that we just discussed. But what it seems is that that's largely not happening.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and this it was interesting because and I'm not saying this is every organization, but as we're looking at the wildfire studies and going into where the money had come from fire aid into those organizations and which organizations were that money pushed out to, how many of those organizations receiving grants were doing so with a fiscal sponsor as their essentially the the recipient of that grant money? In other words, are these organizations who are they really tied to? And that's the that's a piece of the transparency puzzle we don't have. And of course, nobody's asking this question, but we're gonna have a report come the end of January where it's gonna outline everything about the fire aid money, and it's gonna essentially be a whitewash, as I'm sure we're all familiar with, because they're not gonna go any further. They're just gonna hit the top layer and they're not gonna go that step or two below, which starts to show a little bit more of the meat on the bone, which is where everyone wants to know where that money went, but who's directing that money? Who's coordinating it? And you know, the fiscal sponsor is a really interesting dynamic because it can allow an entity to be a multiplier. So if let's just say money goes into organization X like Animberg, and Animberg is the one distributing the funds, which is what happened with the fire aid money, but there's another organization that's the fiscal sponsor, they could be the indirect recipient of that money that went to Annenberg and push it out to organizations that they're affiliated with or that they can influence. Because again, as a very powerful entity in the fiscal sponsorship, this dynamic is you either go along with that fiscal sponsor and pay the price, or you don't get the money and you don't get to be at the table for these other things. There's a very powerful dynamic at play here that's very unspoken, but enough people have said to me over the last couple of weeks that this is a conversation that needs to be said and needs to be heard. And, you know, we've had media ask us what questions, especially on the philanthropic side, exist that we need to look at. This is a, I think, a critical one. And and to take it one step further, this question about the fiscal sponsorship. We were talking about the idea, these organizations that got stood up prior to, you know, as a result of the fire. You know, they come in, they get stood up, they're in the community, they're doing whatever they were doing. I still think there was an involvement with what's happened with some of the decisions that have been made at the macro level, that let's just say community alignment that allegedly existed, there were these organizations that were stood up and then they can go away. And it's almost like a fly-by-night operation. And we were talking about how I, you know, I said it a couple weeks ago that the challenge of which organizations are still going to exist a year from now.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

And the other question now becomes which of those organizations are 501 versus which of those organizations were never sponsored and if the flyby night or sorry, the the year-long duration of their existence was get the money out, push it out to whatever cause or whatever they're doing. And again, we don't know exactly what that is, and then they're gone in a year. Not only is it gonna be hard to track back as to what they are or who they are, but the second question becomes is it a feature, not a bug? Where we thought it was the bug, not the feature.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Am I making sense?

SPEAKER_00:

It does make sense. I don't think that anyone, to your point, is going to look beyond that top level to say, look, we did nothing wrong, everything's kosher, nothing to see here. But in reality, we've created, you know, a sub-universe of for all of this money to be spent and without any kind of um transparency and any what ability to track it.

SPEAKER_01:

And again, the the article in the journal was talking more about you know, sort of radical groups and how they're getting their money. But this is more commonplace. And I'm not again, I'm not implying there's illegality going on here, but I'm certainly implying that what we ex what we're being told or what we're expecting and the in the output that we're receiving are two different things. And again, when we go back to the article I wrote about um scandals, it's scandals are more where the expectation doesn't align with the reality. And that's sort of what feels awkward here. So that's what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's a good point. I mean, we're also as we now, you know, as you mentioned, are seeing the kind of the first cracks. As we predicted, we said there are a lot of these orgs that wouldn't make it to the end of the year, wouldn't make it to the one-year anniversary. And that's in fact what we're seeing. I know there was a big story on Altadena Girls, um, which is a fantastic org, but you know, they had taken on a brick and mortar space, they had taken on a lot trying to extend their work beyond the the scope of just immediate fire recovery, and um they are now finding themselves significantly underfunded and you know, effectively insolvent. Um, and we have a few other orgs who have sent out notes um in the recent week saying, hey, you know, we're wrapping up our work. Please, you know, go follow these other folks as um, you know, as we knew, is um a lot this is what's gonna happen. We're gonna see a lot of consolidation. And I think we're seeing that now with what's happening with Steadfast LA.

SPEAKER_01:

Um Yeah, that's that's interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it is. So you want to talk about that?

SPEAKER_01:

I well, I don't really know what to make of it, to be honest. I I think I'm not sure how they fit into this. You know, we already have the ARC, right? Is Steadfast in parallel? Is Steadfast in additional? Like I'm not sure exactly what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't think anyone knows, and I think that again underscores this conversation of transparency with the community that you serve. And the fact that, you know, the actual members of the community don't know what's going on. I always say that what if I don't know what's going on, the community for sure doesn't know what's going on. So, you know, um it's it's an ongoing challenge to be addressed and a problem to solve because you know, ultimately, you know, we need these organizations, we need these groups, we need all of these minds coming together to figure out how we rebuild this town, right? Well, and and it's not just about getting community buy-in on paper, getting a handful of orgs to align with you so you can say that you have community support. It's about no, why don't you actually engage the community?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think they try. I I just I think it's so hard to do that without a plan. And you know, I think that the mistrust is that what is the plan?

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think that that's where the frustration lies is that, you know, for organizations like Steadfast or any others that are here, or even the ARC, what is the plan? Don't leave it to us to fill the gaps, because you know, quite honestly, all we are noticing is that we're not being we're told certain things in public for a reason, and then when it gets to the private, there's always something else. Like it's the what are we not being told? What is being done behind the scenes? What I'm seeing your right hand, but what's going on in your left hand? Exactly. And I think that it's what is the fear? Like if everything's about on the up and up, who cares? So I I guess it's just, you know, once bit, twice shy. We've been bit multiple times over the past year, and probably before. But I think that that's where it's a distinction between you know, if you're where where what is your goal? Where are you going? How are you going to do it? Help us help you. Because we know that that's what it's about. But we can't get there if we have no idea or we feel like there's something else that we're not being told.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I think that is kind of how everyone feels at this point because they are in the dark about so much.

SPEAKER_01:

Indeed. Yep. And I, you know, that's politics. I get that, that you don't want everybody to know what's going on. At the same time, though, you have to have something that people can rally around. If you don't have that by now, uh it's it's a very disconcerting question.

SPEAKER_00:

So well, and it's what makes it feel like this is like the recovery is such a grim conversation. It's not happening. Because, you know, half of this is it's this is the other part of it. If you do have a plan and you are working on things and things are happening, great. It is incumbent upon you to then communicate that to the community. Because if the community hears and sees nothing, what are they supposed to think?

SPEAKER_01:

And there's some, you know, you don't tell somebody something because you don't want them to know something. Exactly. And that's the question.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, and that is therein lies the question. And speaking to this, that is the perfect segue to um last night's thrill. Um, so apparently, and I say apparently because it it seems no one knew about this, um, LA County hosted a town hall um that was intended to be an opportunity for first responders and um fire and sheriff leadership. Um, in fact, you know, fire chief Moroni was in the room. Um, you would have loved that. Oh, I know. Well, some of my neighbor who went sure did. Um were, you know, at Loma Alta Park for this town hall that was supposed to be to, you know, create a bridge and to address community concerns and answer questions. There were literally eight people in attendance there, a couple of whom were those involved in organizing, one was a media person, one is someone who didn't live in the area and wasn't there during the fire. There was one media local media person, uh-huh. Oh yeah. And I don't know from what outlet.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm sure the hard-hitting questions.

SPEAKER_00:

But you know, there were in the end, it was like the times because there was nothing new. Exactly. There were there were two people from the community who were there. Three. I'm sorry, really four, if I think about it. Um, but they were there for various reasons. Two went together, one was there on their own, who know uh was an older person that um no one in attendance knew, and someone else is uh one of my neighbors who was involved in a number of local groups, and um she was aware and wanted to be there. But um in the end, it seems like a lot of the, you know, one of my neighbors did speak at length with um Chief Moroni, and she said the degree to which he was prepared with his usual talking points was chilling. Um, that it was just a lot more gaslighting, blaming the palisades, saying that, you know, well, the palisades, all of our all of our equipment, all of our engines were in the palisades. Uh they did everything they could, that they had 3,000.

SPEAKER_01:

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01:

And you can't make this shit up. Wait, wait. So all their equipment was in the palisades was the Palisades' fault. But who caused the fire in the Palisades in the first place?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they did.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Not the county.

SPEAKER_00:

Not the county. Well, maybe the county, but you know, um it it makes it begs a lot of questions and in cause.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure, maybe he's not responsible in that respect, but our governmental structures are the failure here, and he's part of that structure. So unfortunately, it's like it's circular.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. It was it sounds like it was just unfortunately, like I said, a lot of um a lot more gaslighting.

SPEAKER_01:

So, but what about that article in the Times earlier in the week? I know about the uh the fire mapping and the consistent failures that happened there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

What a because it turns out that there's a GPS program that the National Guard has that a lot of places use, but LA County, the seventh largest state in the country, if we were a state, I guess didn't feel that with with a tremendous amount of terrain, a tremendous amount of wildfire risk, did not think that we needed a wildfire map. Oh, and because with Santa Ana's, you can't fly. So why would we not use satellites from space to help us know where they're happy? Especially fast moving forest fires.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

I I there are no answers to this other than yet again, we failed. And again, this this piece was in my roundup that I did last week on the day where I was like, all these things were hitting. Literally, that was they in that article listed all the articles the LA Times wrote since the beginning of the fires related to how we've had failures at the government level. Folks, it's all right there. It is right there, and the fact that they have the Khutzpah.

SPEAKER_00:

You were about to say the balls. Uh well, you know, I he he censored himself, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

To stand there and blame the palaces. I know that so people, again, people died because they didn't get because they didn't push a fucking button.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. So I love this. I'm gonna read some notes that came direct from my neighbor who did make it there last night, and she was so upset that this wasn't publicized and this wasn't what it should have been to actually have been any kind of meaningful accountability with the community. But um, she said that Moroni actually spent 20 minutes with her and that she's she This is my favorite part. He sat there and showed up. He said he did, he did. But I love this. I told him not to say the word unprecedented again, and yet he did five more times. In our 20 minutes. That is his party line, that it's it was unprecedented. She said that they reiterated that they had no data for outside reinforcement, so they can't speak to any of that. She said that Sprengle, the other fire chief, again wanted to say that they were so they, you know, did their job and point to how the job that they did evacuating the seniors, speaking specifically to the home on Allen. Never mind the fact that they did not evacuate any other seniors, including those who lived on Lincoln at that new development. I forget the name of it, but um, you know, um Juliet.

SPEAKER_01:

Well about the one right by the synagogue.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, exactly, have been very busy talking about this. Um she reiterated that, you know, they what they needed was trained firefighters actually fighting the fire, not just our citizen firefighters doing this. Uh instead of just getting together in their command centers to talk about what they did before anyone actually tried to stop the fire, until at which point, of course, it was too late. Um the OEM CEO was there and stated again that the um LA Times reporting on all of the data that came directly from the county, that it was direct was not factual.

SPEAKER_01:

The LA Times was not factual.

SPEAKER_00:

Correct, that their massive investigative report was not factual. And then you're gonna love this part. I didn't share this with you, Steve. You're gonna love this. I wish everyone could see Steve's face right now, especially when I'm at what I'm about to drop. Moroni also repeatedly mentioned for questions that he couldn't answer or didn't want to answer, that they should contact John Hair Obedian's office.

SPEAKER_01:

Assemblyman, I hope you're listening.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. So the bottom line was no satisfaction.

SPEAKER_01:

Why should they contact the assemblyman's office? Why not Sasha Perez's office?

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. That I not the governor's office. We said that exactly, and they they said, you know, directing our questions his way is if he can somehow answer them because the fire department can't answer citizen questions, and those should go to the assembly person.

SPEAKER_01:

It was really well what about the champion of the people, Sasha Perez?

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Why would the state senator be the person to answer these questions?

SPEAKER_01:

Because oh yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was a wow. So I think this is not the end of what we were here. We will be hearing on this, needless to say, there are many of us, including the Alcedina for Accountability Coalition, still very actively.

SPEAKER_01:

Did they dispute what the LA Times was reporting?

SPEAKER_00:

That was they said that it was unfactual. Do you remember when that parts? Do you remember when that came out and Barger's statement kept referring to the erroneous and um inaccurate LA Times story?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but did they dispute direct points?

SPEAKER_00:

No.

SPEAKER_01:

So then how is it erroneous and inaccurate? Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

They're just saying the data's incomplete, that it's not the full picture.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so what is missing and why don't we fill that?

SPEAKER_00:

Correct. I would love you and I would love to you and I and you know approximately 40,000 of our neighbors would love to.

SPEAKER_01:

Look, and look, this isn't an indictment on the fire department. This is an indictment on accountability. Like just if you're being like back to our original point, if you there's nothing to hide, what do you hide? Why why hide it?

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. That's right. It's um there's so many questions and so few answers. So, you know, this this happened, that was it. Um, I have no doubt that someone, multiple some ones, are patting themselves on the back, checking a box, saying they did it. Aren't they great? I'm sure that at some point we'll hear news some talking about what a great thing they did. And um that they had.

SPEAKER_01:

Because the state's got its own culpability with the Palisades, allegedly, according to Twitter. But again, you know, you have to take it with a grain of salt.

SPEAKER_00:

No, they do. I, you know, I've been talking to the folks in the Palisades and they've uncovered some policy documents. There's actually an LA Times story about that. That in so many words.

SPEAKER_01:

But again, again, the LA Times is inaccurate. Uh factually inaccurate because it hasn't because they have to publish stuff that takes multiple times to you know, multiple parts of verification.

SPEAKER_00:

They have that can't be published by their own legal team if it is not verified. Exactly. Exactly. It's um it's it's embarrassing for the county, honestly. Well, just it's okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Just own it. If you screwed up, take the hit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. It's like you know, you're just caught red-handed and saying that you didn't.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not fair to the people who are the first responders who put their lives on the line. It's the people that were the chairs. Yeah, and the chairs are the ones that are out there defending our town, the firefighters that are out there in the most in these dangerous clim environments. Like why just disrespect to the first responders that that got a you know, it's disrespectful.

SPEAKER_00:

It's disrespectful to the first responders, it's disrespectful to all of us. They are serving no one but themselves and their own well-being, their own jobs, their own asses.

SPEAKER_01:

And well, number one, thank you, uh James Carvel.

SPEAKER_00:

That's right. And it's it's really disturbing. So, you know, as I said, there are many of us still seeking accountability, still pushing for a real investigation, still continuing pressure on our attorney general's office, uh, Rob Bonta to compel potential governor to compel a meaningful investigation that is independent and has subpoena power, because that is the only way I think we are ever going to get any kind of answers, let alone justice, let alone, hey, the thing we all really want, change. Because if we don't actually fix this shit, what's gonna happen next time? Oh, that's right, the same thing.

SPEAKER_01:

That happened in 2018. Exactly. Because the unprecedented nature of the 2018 fire, which became 2025, which is gonna be an unprecedented nature of the next fire. You can't keep using the words unprecedented when it they're all precedented. It's there.

SPEAKER_00:

That is literally the definition of the term. So yeah, the um the frustration continues, the gaslighting can continues, the lack of accountability continues. And I hate that that is how we are ending our our final episode of the year, but unfortunately, that's but this is what that is the reality.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we're not here to, we're not opining. We're just saying this is what we're seeing. And you know what? It's time that we continue to bring accountability to the future.

SPEAKER_00:

And where is it?

SPEAKER_01:

There are enough people at the year point that are sitting there saying, What can you do? How do you help Al Tedena? How do you help these communities have been ravaged by fire so this doesn't happen again? That's the purpose of a free and open press. It's to hold our leaders to account.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, with that, as I said, this is our final episode before we head into um a break for um both the holiday period and frankly the um the one-year anniversary, right? Yep. So I think we're gonna talk a little bit about what's happening and what's planned for the one-year anniversary. I know that's been a big topic of conversation in our group, is people wondering what's going on, and and a lot of people, frankly, talking about plans to leave town, not be here. It's it's too painful, it's too difficult, and I understand that. Um, but for some who will be here, there are many things going on.

SPEAKER_01:

In fact, um There's the 5K.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, so there's the 5K run, which is by the way, did you realize that was what's a five and a 10k as I understand it? Did you realize that that is sponsored by the sheriff's department? And it's the funds go to the sheriff's department?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm okay to support the sheriffs.

SPEAKER_00:

I love supporting the sheriffs, but is that where is the here's where I get stuck. How can we have something for fire recovery that's supposed to benefit fire victims and fire survivors?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, if they use the when the money is going to the sheriffs actually, you know, help continue to protect our rebuild. I mean, I'm all for it.

SPEAKER_00:

I would be for it if they didn't have the largest bloated multi-billion dollar budget that somehow their and again, this is not about our individual deputies who put their asses on the line every day, and many of whom in the community I know respect and love. This is about the leadership, and they suck. Well, their leadership sucks.

SPEAKER_01:

But this is top down, Shana.

SPEAKER_00:

It is, but I think it is um it is problematic for some. But that is that is happening on the 6th.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, that is on January 6th, the day prior to the fire anniversary, or technically the fire anniversary, since the fire did start at 6 18 p.m. on the 6th. Um, on the um day of the anniversary, January 7th, there are a few major events, there are a lot of events happening, but the major one is going to be the one organized by Barger's Ark. Um, and that is happening, of course, that's you know, the usual suspects. And that one is gonna be at grocery outlet at 5 p.m. And it is supposed to be a message of hope. So um, yeah, I don't know. I'll be hoping that they get their shit together in this in year two. That's my hope.

SPEAKER_01:

Um maybe they have a plan and they're gonna share it with us.

SPEAKER_00:

I would love to hear that, and I can't wait. Um, following that, I sound like such an asshole. I don't mean to sound like such an asshole. It's just also giving people the benefit of the doubt. It is so frustrating. Um, the the event following that will be um at 7 p.m. So that is from 5 to 7 p.m. as I understand it. At 7 p.m., another organization is leading a candlelight vigil um from the grocery outlet parking lot up to the top of Lake Avenue, uh up where the CAB estate was um or is. Um so that will be happening for those who are interested in in being here and participating in that. We also have um what else is going on? Yeah, the Department of Angels event and well that's January 4th, and that's a curious one. There, the Department of Angels is doing something on January 4th, but it's a joint event between Palisades and Pasadena.

SPEAKER_01:

But it's happening, it's happening in San Pedro.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't I don't know, make that make it make sense. Um, as we've discussed in a past episode, the Palisades is having their own uh big commemorative uh rally um at 10 30 a.m. on the 7th. That is the um They Let Us Burn rally, and I yours truly will actually be there with them speaking.

SPEAKER_01:

Shauna raising her fist in protest.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, as many of their issues are our issues, people don't realize that either in their community or our community, that we are all saying the same thing, we are asking the same questions, and we're all feeling the same, you know, sense of frustration and and being left behind without any accountability. So I think that's really important. And um, there's also um on January 1, there'll be apparently a CCF um Rose Parade float commemorating the victims. And I only well commemorating the fire and as a memorial to those lost to the fire, and I'm only aware of that because a couple of the families who lost family members reached out to me asking about it because they hadn't been contacted and they were upset.

SPEAKER_01:

So again, I think um We will pick that one up in the new year.

SPEAKER_00:

We'll pick that one up in the new year, but this is what I want to leave us on this note is that there's so much being done that is so well intended that has, you know, the most beautiful, genuine sentiment behind it. But you have to engage your fire survivors when you're acting on their behalf. And you know, this came up with, and I'm not gonna spend too much time or give it much oxygen, but you know, a coffee table book that dropped that happened to have a an image of mine and my neighbor's home on the cover. Um, and that image was shot without my consent um through via trespassing. It wasn't shot legally from the street, it was shot from standing in the middle of the pit of my home, standing in a spot I never once stood because it wasn't safe and because it was so disrespectful, I wouldn't even want my feet in there. Um because my family's ashes were in there. My pets, like it was just it was like literally jumping into my grave, taking a photo, putting it on a book, and then selling it for$80 on Amazon. And that person, again, really well intended, thought they were doing a good thing, but has actually, in reality, created a lot of harm, re-traum re-traumatizing and re-victimizing for those who did not consent.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's there's your word of the year next year, re-victimizing. Yeah. I mean, the governor started it in DC, and you're gonna hear it over and over again.

SPEAKER_00:

So um, I think that, you know, what the message that I would leave as we wrap the year is that, you know, we all have to continue to do this good work, we all have to continue to fight. But when we say that we are doing this on the behalf of survivors, we have to in fact speak to and listen to and get consent from our survivors to ensure that we are in fact serving them in the best possible way that they need to be served.

SPEAKER_01:

Well said.

SPEAKER_00:

So with that, we're gonna wrap this one up. Um, we will be back very likely the week of January 13th. We thought about coming back the week of the 6th, but with the anniversary events, I think honestly, I think it may just be too heavy a week for all of us. So um, if you are looking for all of those anniversary events, I will have them all posted up in the notes section of my Substack. And um, I have been somewhat active there and I'm trying to pick it back up. I've been um more quiet than I would like to be on Substack. Very simply.

SPEAKER_01:

Sorry, I make up for you.

SPEAKER_00:

He does make up for me, only because frankly, we've been so busy online with the groups and even um our social media. I encourage everyone to please follow um beautiful Al Tadena on Instagram. You know, if you are in or outside of our community, our groups on Facebook are for our local residents only. Um but if you are that, please do join us there. But um on Instagram in particular, follow our stories. I post dozens of events daily. So um there and happenings and grants and opportunities and um all sorts of good stuff. Um, so by all means, um until we see you again in the new year, um, be safe, stay sane, take care of yourself, have a beautiful holiday season, find the light anywhere you can. And we will have hope.

SPEAKER_01:

We're we're gonna get through this.

SPEAKER_00:

And have hope. We are going to get through this. And um, Steve and I will see you in the new year.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, take care, everybody.