For four years, Jose Maciel worked as a landscaper for homeowners in Pasadena.
Then, the Eaton fire in January erupted, destroying thousands of homes, including many he worked on, along with damaging one of his children’s schools, Eliot Arts Magnet Academy in Altadena.
While Maciel, his wife and two children didn’t lose their Pasadena home, he was one of many Latinos in the area who lost work opportunities because of the fires. Wanting to keep his family safe, he moved his family to Fullerton a few weeks later, worried about air quality concerns and his kids’ mental health.
“I didn’t want my kids to see their burned down school every day,” Maciel, 35, said. “We didn’t want them to see their friends’ houses burned down. It was just not a place where I wanted my kids to be raised anymore. In the news, they were saying that there were chemicals in the air.”
Maciel received aid from L.A.-based Inclusive Action for the City in the form of a gift card, specifically for outdoor workers. His family is one of many who soon found financial help in the form of community aid, through frontline organizations helping those impacted by the L.A. fires — including thousands of Latino Americans.
The Latino Community Foundation hosted a virtual panel on April 2, where leaders discussed ways to find equitable, long-term recovery solutions in the aftermath of the January fires. Officials said both the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed over 16,000 structures, took the lives of at least 30 people, and disproportionately affected communities of color — many of whom were already struggling financially from the pandemic.
The fires only compounded these struggles, leaders in the call said.
The Latino Community Foundation, a San Francisco-based group that promotes the representation of Latinos in politics and labor movements, has invested over $2 million in wildfire relief so far, said CEO Julián Castro.
Leaders from frontline organizations — such as the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Umoja Food, Inclusive Action for the City, and Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo — all talked about how they provided financial resources to community members in the immediate aftermath of the fires.
“We knew that folks in our communities, if they lose one day of work, they’re in trouble for the month,” said Rudy Espinoza, CEO of the nonprofit Inclusive Action for the City. “They’re literally working day-to-day, hoping to earn income so they could pay their bills at the end of the month.”
The nonprofit served more than 4,600 workers with cash cards, resulting in over $2.3 million going to outdoor workers and day laborers, many of whom were not getting access to other resources at the time, Espinoza said.
In a recent study from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, researchers found that Latino workers account for 36% of the workforce in the major fire evacuation zones. At least 35,000 jobs held by Latinos were at risk of temporary or permanent displacement, with many homes or businesses where they worked destroyed.
The study also found that Latino workers face greater economic instability due to limited remote work opportunities, and being employed in jobs that require a physical presence — such as service, retail and manual labor — including domestic work.
Latinos who work in outdoor jobs like agriculture, construction and transportation make up around 17% of residents in Latino neighborhoods, compared to 6% in white neighborhoods, a similar UCLA study found. Because of this, health disparities are higher — those in majority-Latino neighborhoods experience “nearly double the exposure to diesel and air pollution” compared to white neighborhoods.
Within many Latino households and businesses, the study found, there is a lack of financial preparedness or access to health care. Around 14% of Latino neighborhood residents are uninsured, compared to 3% of residents in white neighborhoods.
Panelists from the Latino Community Foundation event discussed these ongoing challenges and long-term impacts, from job security to serious health risks.
Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said that many Latinos who lost their jobs were then having to work in unknown, dangerous conditions in order to make ends meet
“We don’t even know what the contaminants, the toxins that have been released into the air and into the soil (are),” Alvarado said. “And now that we have an administration that doesn’t believe in science, I don’t think we’re going to get that.”
He credited the many trained day laborers who, as part of disaster relief efforts, removed over 3,000 tons of debris and worked to clean up and restore smoke-damaged homes.
UCLA researchers called for solutions like expanded health care, employee protections for day laborers and outdoor workers, and diverse emergency preparedness programs to protect the vulnerable.
Latino Community Foundation panelists also said that more support will be needed to not just rebuild, but truly recover and protect at-risk workers.
They cited barriers to getting help for some in the Latino community, such as language, technical skills, or immigration status. At least 1,000 undocumented families can’t access federal government aid or are afraid to apply for fear of deportation, Alvarado said.
“In the face of disaster, you have to build community in order to face the challenges,” Alvarado said. “But the government should be there as well, and should have clear priorities.”
For undocumented community members affected by the fires, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services website offers a list of services. A guide to disaster assistance for immigrant families is also available through the state Department of Social Services. Other resources include Disaster CalFresh, WIC, community food banks and American Red Cross shelters. The Latino Community Foundation also continues to raise funds for victims through its wildfire and disaster relief fund.
Between losing their neighborhood and schools, moving counties, and budgeting for rent and other expenses, Jose Maciel, the landscape worker, shared that he is “still processing” what his family has gone through. He was grateful to use the financial gift he had towards rent.
“I’m just really grateful there were resources for people like me, who work a lot outside. I’m really grateful that people came together to inform each other about opportunities,” Maciel said. “Life just keeps going, even after disasters.”