Los Angeles communities are being hit by multiple crises at once. These are not separate challenges. They are overlapping crises affecting many of the same communities—and they require more than isolated responses. At the CCF, we are taking a holistic approach.
Eighteen months ago, Los Angeles County experienced one of the most devastating disasters in our region’s history. In the aftermath of the fires, people from across California, across the nation and around the world came together with an overwhelming message: You are not alone.
The warehouse fire affecting Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, and surrounding communities is a stark reminder that even as one crisis fades, another can quickly emerge. For more than a week, families have endured smoke-filled skies, school and business disruptions, lost wages, and serious concerns about the long-term health impacts of poor air quality.
Democracy is not self-sustaining. Progress depends on people choosing to participate — to speak out, organize and vote in defense of the future they want for their communities. In moments of uncertainty and division, democracy is tested by whether people still believe they have a voice and a shared responsibility to one another. As Americans, every election is an opportunity to reaffirm the democratic values that define our nation — participation, representation, freedom of expression and civic responsibility.
The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs released its latest Quality of Life Index (QLI) earlier this month, and the findings reflect the daunting challenges facing Angelenos today. In a year marked by wildfires, intensified ICE raids and rising costs, the index found Angelenos have record low levels of satisfaction with their quality of life.
At the California Community Foundation, our mission is clear: expand access to a good life for all. It begins with providing for basic needs. Every day, across Los Angeles County, people wake up and do what they have always done — go to work, take their children to school, care for aging parents, tend to their communities. They are not asking for much. They are asking for a fair shot at a good life.
A home is more than shelter. It is the foundation for a stable workforce, healthy communities and the dignity every person needs to thrive. At the California Community Foundation (CCF), our pursuit of a good life for all Angelenos calls us to continually examine whether the policies shaping our region are advancing that vision.
Last week, the California Community Foundation co-sponsored United We Stand: Defending Democracy and Each Other, our largest immigration-focused convening to date. More than 500 leaders from philanthropy, business, labor, faith, legal aid and civic organizations came together from across California and beyond—reaffirming their shared commitment to family stability, dignity and community well-being.
This milestone belongs to survivors—and to everyone who has stood beside them. One year after the wildfires, CCF’s new digital One-Year Wildfire Impact Report reflects on how far families have come and how much road remains ahead.
On this New Year’s Day, many families are beginning the year carrying deep loss. The wildfires took loved ones, homes and a sense of normalcy—but they also revealed something powerful: a community that showed up with compassion, generosity and resolve. You were part of that response, and I am deeply grateful.
As the year draws to a close, we begin with gratitude—for you and for the extraordinary compassion our community has shown in the face of profound loss. Earlier this week, as we prepared for the beloved Southern California tradition of the Rose Parade®—a celebration watched worldwide just before the one-year anniversary of the devastating fires—we had the privilege of gathering with wildfire survivors from Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena to unveil Rising Together, a float created in their honor. (No wildfire funds were used to pay for the float).
Nearly nine months after the Eaton and Palisades fires, survivors continue to face immense challenges. The Department of Angels’ survey of 2,000 survivors shows that recovery is not quick or easy: families are still battling stalled or denied insurance claims, neighborhoods are coping with toxic soil, and many are struggling with the mental health impacts of repeated displacement. Rebuilding is expensive and emotionally taxing.