Immigrant leaders, DIY crews begin lengthy cleanup in Pasadena

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Cesar Saucedo helped set up the Eaton Fire emergency response at the Pasadena Community Job Center, an organization that supports migrant day laborers. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.

On a quiet residential street, Cesar Saucedo leads a group of volunteers as they rake and shovel debris into piles just outside the Eaton Fire evacuation zone. He’s in charge of the chainsaw for cutting broken trees.

“This is important to me,” Saucedo tells KCRW in Spanish. “This is my community.”

In this corner of Pasadena, there’s little fire damage, but the windstorm tore vegetation to pieces. Palm fronds and leaves are scattered across yards and roads. The City of Pasadena says it will take their crews months to clean up all the debris from the Eaton Fire.

High winds are still blowing in Los Angeles, and with it the fire threat spikes. Untended dry vegetation could become tinder.

Some locals, like Saucedo, saw the extent of the damage, and decided to start the work immediately.

Saucedo is a landscaper who in the past has picked up day-to-day work at the Pasadena Community Job Center, a local organization that helps migrant day laborers connect with employers.

Last week, he and other volunteers helped the center’s staff turn the office into an emergency response hub distributing supplies like diapers and water. The day after the fires ignited, Saucedo led a group of about 60 day laborers to help residents clean up after the windstorm for free. They continue the work daily.

Videos of the brigades’ efforts spread on social media. On January 11 and 12, around 1,000 people showed up to assist them.

“People in Pasadena employed me when I needed it the most,” Saucedo says. “It’s my time to give back and help them.”


Volunteers with the Pasadena Community Job Center gather leaves and branches on a residential street. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.

The group stays outside the evacuation zone and avoids hazardous fire debris. LA County Department of Public works tells KCRW that they will lead the cleanup of fire-related demolition debris and hazardous household waste, once LA County Fire finishes inspections of properties.

“Recovery from these unprecedented and devastating wildfires will be challenging, and Los Angeles County Public Works is committed to working with residents to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible,” a county spokesperson tells KCRW by email.

On Monday, around 100 people from all over Los Angeles arrived at the Pasadena Community Job Center ready to rake and scoop. Among the crowd were four firefighters from Ontario, Canada. The group was using their days off to volunteer in affected areas, says station chief Matt Young.

“We just knew our brothers and sisters needed a hand,” says Young. “We know the extent that it takes to deal with [an emergency] like this.” 

Throughout the afternoon, drivers of three cars yell “thank you” as they pass by.

At Paul Lofthouse’s home where workers are gathering debris, he walks out and hands the group a $100 bill.

“Anybody can make a GoFundMe page,” says Lofthouse. “I want to give money to a person that’s right there.”


Community members canvass the residential streets of Pasadena looking for people who need help. Photo courtesy of Vice Cooler.

The scale of need is overwhelming, says Pasadena resident Vice Cooler.

“Especially the day after, you would look [in] any direction, and people needed help,” says Cooler. “I saw a senior citizen with a kitchen knife cutting a tree down in his yard.”  

Cooler began informally organizing a group of friends, soccer team members, and neighbors on January 8 to conduct welfare checks and haul green waste. Over five days, he estimates their crew of a couple dozen people, equipped with their own masks, tools, trash bags, and trucks have hauled out about 10,000 pounds of green waste. “We're all pretty wiped out,” he says.

As they’ve canvassed the neighborhood, he hasn’t spotted any city workers doing clean-up. “Where’s the government?” says Cooler.

The City of Pasadena initiated clean-up efforts “immediately after the fires began,” says Thanos Gauthier of the Department of Public Works. City officials estimate that a year's worth of green waste fell on the streets over 48 hours and it could take two months to remove it all. Gauthier says the city is hiring additional contractors with heavy equipment and trucks that can remove debris.

Residents are advised to leave any debris that does not fit into their green bin at the curb in loose piles. The city is also operating a temporary green waste collection for residents at Hahamongna Watershed Park from January 14 to 31.

Community members tell KCRW they will continue their cleanup indefinitely as long as conditions are safe.

“We wish we were millionaires, so that we can help [people] rebuild their homes,” says Omar Leon, a community organizer and volunteer at the Pasadena Community Job Center. “But instead we can use our labor.”

Credits

Reporter:

Megan Jamerson