‘It really hit us hard’
A year ago, fires ripped through the hills above Los Angeles, killing 31 people, destroying 16,000 structures and leaving a long recovery that is only just beginning.
Last month, Michael Brake and his wife watched as a new foundation was poured for their Altadena home.
“We both cried a little,” said Brake, a music editor who has worked on dozens of TV shows, films and documentaries. “We are very early in the process.”
The fires have hit the entertainment industry particularly hard at a time when work was already slow. More than 300 members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees lost their homes, and dozens of others were left with homes that were uninhabitable.
“It really hit us hard,” said DeJon Ellis, business manager of IATSE Local 80. “It affected a lot of our members.”
The union joined with the Teamsters to raise money for the affected families, distributing a few thousand dollars to those who lost their homes. The unions also organized donations of food and clothing.
“Comaraderie is the foundation of IATSE film work,” Ellis said. “The way our members came together for other members – even though the city was down – was beautiful. We had members who themselves were struggling to come in and donate $10, $20, clothes and food. That made me super proud.”
The Motion Picture Television Fund, an industry-focused charity, also provided about $2 million in aid, covering basic needs such as rent, food and utilities. Many of the recipients were older or retired.
“One of the things we’ve always encountered is the difficulty people have in saying, ‘I need help,’” said Jennifer Jorge, director of community services at the fund. “It takes a lot of courage to be able to do that. They don’t want to take it from someone else who might need it more.”
A year later, these immediate needs have given way to longer-term challenges of navigating various bureaucracies.
“The journey to recovery is far from over,” Jorge said.
The CAA Foundation partnered with other charitable groups, including the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Community Organized Relief Effort, to raise money for fire relief. The agency helped set up charity auctions for items including tickets to the premiere of “White Lotus” and a golf outing with Larry David and Doc Rivers.
Since January, the SoCal Fire Fund has distributed more than $4 million in direct cash assistance to affected families. It has also assisted in cleaning homes and removing debris, and continues to work with the Los Angeles and Pasadena school districts on ongoing needs.
“We are really committed to doing this for the long term,” said Natalie Tran, executive director of the CAA Foundation.
Brake had just started a show when the fire destroyed his house. He returned to work a few weeks later, but quickly became overwhelmed.
“I knew rebuilding would be a race for materials and labor,” he said. “I really felt pressured to start rebuilding. In March I was drowning in the amount of work versus the amount I had to do to rebuild.”
He took three months off and lived off his savings to concentrate on dealing with architects, permits and various authorities. At one point the job was postponed for a month due to the need to obtain a sorting permit and track down twenty truckloads of ‘quality waste’.
“I never thought about ‘quality dirt’ before this,” he said.
He hopes to have the framing done by early February, and if all goes well the house will be finished sometime in the fall. Although the neighborhood is still destroyed, about seven houses in the area have already been completely framed.
“It’s just encouraging to see that people want to come back,” he said, “and knowing that we won’t be alone when we move here.”
