Helping Those Impacted by the Los Angeles Fires

There are many ways, including uplifting local voices

Author

Julio Ricardo Varela
January 10, 2025

Screen grab from Mrrafaelagustin’s Instagram video

This week proved (again) just how fragile our world is. The images from the Los Angeles area have been heart-wrenching. As of this morning, the death count is at 10 lives lost with more than 9,000 structures either damaged or destroyed.

Since we are a tiny newsroom with no Los Angeles-based correspondent, the best we can do here at The Latino Newsletter is try and shine a light on some of the Latino and Latina voices who are informing their local communities with accurate information.

Over the last few days, for example, Wendy Carrillo, a dear friend who we have known for years, has been going on Instagram to share things people can do to stay updated.

We are also grateful to another friend, Patty Rodriguez, who is offering help and advice.

The team at Locatora Radio is sharing ways to help.

Meanwhile, the Latino Community Foundation (our foundational funder) announced that its California Wildfire Relief Fund is accepting donations at bit.ly/WildfiresLCF. When you do donate, make sure to choose the California Wildfire Relief Fund option.

Another close friend, Mónica Ramírez, shared a carrousel with ways to support.

The Los Angeles Times also published a comprehensive list.

To all our friends in the area, we are thinking about you and are with you.

What We’re Reading (and Listening)

Immigrants Will Rebuild Los Angeles: There have been a lot of opinion pieces and takes about this week’s fires, and if you can only read one, we offer this gift article to León Krauze’s words in the Opinions section of The Washington Post.

Who will rebuild Los Angeles? Immigrants.

And many of them will be doing it under threat of family separation.

The Wasington Post

Latino Immigrants and the Fires: On Friday’s “Morning Edition” from NPR, Adrian Florido filed a beautiful story of how some Latino immigrants are helping complete strangers put out fires.

Groups of Latino immigrants help to put out wildfires in Los Angeles area

Many Latino immigrants in Los Angeles worked to extinguish some of the fires with hoses. They aren't firefighters, they were just helping people in other neighborhoods.

www.npr.org

The Politics of Wildfires: Gustavo Arellano’s latest column for The Los Angeles Times begins to unpack to local politics of the tragedy. To understand L.A., Gustavo is always required reading.

Column: Karen Bass was no Nero — and now's the time for her to prove that

L.A. is scared, seething and looking for a scapegoat — and who better than a mayor who jetted to another continent despite warnings that devastating winds were about to blast through a region that hasn’t seen substantial rainfall in months?

www.latimes.com

Peace, y’all.

About the Author

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and publisher of The Latino Newsletter.

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