Judy Chu: “This week, I returned from my district in southern California, which has been completely devastated by the Eaton fire.…”

“This week, I returned from my district in southern California, which has been completely devastated by the Eaton fire. In Altadena and northern Pasadena, the fire took our neighbors' lives and destroyed the structures that provided stability to countless families' hopes, dreams, and memories. The fire has destroyed over 7,000 structures; left 20,000 people homeless; forced numerous health centers to close; and burned schools, businesses, and community institutions to the ground. This is just one of six serious fires across Los Angeles, including the more than 23,000-acre Palisades fire. Places that served as safe havens for generations of Angelenos and where community was built across the San Gabriel Valley are now unrecognizable. The Altadena Community Church, Altadena mosque, Pasadena Jewish Temple, Armenian school, mom-and-pop business centers, Eliot Arts Magnet School, and Altadena Country Club were all burned to the ground. When Black Americans fled racial segregation in the Jim Crow South and came to Los Angeles, many made Altadena their home because there was no redlining there preventing them from owning homes. It has remained a hub of Black culture and civic life in Los Angeles. After being forced into incarceration in camps during World War II, many Japanese Americans came to Pasadena and built their lives back up.…”