I had just crossed into Eaton Canyon when I heard the news on the radio: another body had been discovered by cleanup crews, bringing the death toll from the Altadena fire to 19 people, bringing the overall death toll from January’s horrendous wildfires to 31.
It’s a gut punch. Not just because of the sheer tragedy of it, but because even now—almost seven months later—L.A. County hasn’t recovered from this fire, even as we deal with the slow-burning consequences of a broken immigration system, the glowing embers of a housing crisis, and the endless blaze of gentrification fueled by corporate raiders that seem to profit off disasters.
So I did what I often do when I need to feel something other than numb: I went to see a close friend. In this case, my sincere friend Rafael Agustin. Rafa is a noted author, TV writer, and filmmaker, but he’s also a dude I trust to tell me the truth about his city.