good morning. Today is Saturday, January 11th. Not all of us in Los Angeles saw the start of 2025 this way. Of course, it was also a “wet” season, but here we are. Take a look back at your week with Opinion.
This is surprising for someone who is paid to edit and write commentary, but it needs to be said right now: the entire Los Angeles and surrounding area was destroyed by fire, and people were As you experience the grief and great uncertainty that comes with it, you may resist the urge to form an opinion about it to avoid losing everything in an instant.
I say this in the face of what appears to be a malicious, politically motivated effort to blame the destruction on the alleged incompetence of Democratic leaders in Los Angeles. be. Don’t get me wrong. There may have been many bad decisions that caused these fires to be worse than they needed to be, and if they exist, their unraveling should be the subject of careful investigation. But for now, the priority is to serve affected residents and support first responders.
And I don’t want to delve too deeply into the falsehoods swirling around these fires. Because as someone who was several miles downwind from the fire that destroyed much of Altadena, I’m focused on what to do now. This is what it looks like.
Since the Santa Ana winds first started picking up on Tuesday night, “blowing up” is an understatement. In the San Gabriel Valley, where I live, it hit like a bomb. My wife and I have allayed fears for our three children and none of them have ever experienced anything like this. We taught them how to pack their “go-to” bags in case an evacuation order was issued in their neighborhood, demonstrating the importance of being prepared and doing what little we can do. Early the next morning, I received a call from my niece from the evacuation zone, but since she didn’t have access to a car, I drove to Glendale and took her and her partner to my home. You will remain there until it is safe to return home. My wife’s fellow teachers who had evacuated received invitations to stay at her house. Similarly, crowded houses occupied by evacuees can be seen throughout the neighborhood. Many doors are open to many people who need them. As I write this, my wife and children are collecting clothing to donate to a shelter.
Phone calls have been pouring in from worried friends and family. We have also provided support to people we know who have lost everything. Messages sent between colleagues at work always include a caring “How are you?” message. Is it safe? Is there anything I can do?
You might not know it from the knife-like rhetoric currently being reported in some media outlets, but on the ground, well within breathing distance from the fire smoke, there is no partisan consideration at all. The humanity that has been excluded is gushing out. Because that’s what we need right now.
An Australian reader affected by the fires sends love to Los Angeles. I don’t usually write blurbs like this in letters to the editor, but these reader notes expressing sympathy from the other side of the world were too nice to share here. you can’t. (Additional note: In January 2020, when Australia was experiencing an unusually devastating fire season, we published a letter from a reader there, explaining that the suffering of the country’s people was a global threat as climate change took hold.) (This was a sign of the future for other regions.)
How can the LA Zoo and its fundraising department end their feud? The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), an independent fundraising organization, has partnered with the municipal Los Angeles Zoo for 60 years. Both groups believed they knew better than the other how to spend the money they raised for the zoo, and the relationship was at times shaky. The two sides are now embroiled in a legal battle that benefits neither the zoo nor the public, the Times editorial board says.
Enjoy this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support allows us to bring you the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
From Taylor Swift to Mu Deng: What the stranded astronauts missed. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth from the International Space Station by March. That would be far enough, even if he hadn’t been to space since June, when he departed on a mission that was originally scheduled to last 10 days. Op-ed writer Carla Hall reflects on all they missed on their unscheduled months-long trip.
Indeed, Mr. Trump could improve U.S. foreign policy. Donald Trump was by no means a model of level-headed foreign policy making during his time as president, but his first administration (and subsequent President Biden’s administration) has embraced the “rules-based” order that the United States insists on adhering to. Samuel said the hypocrisy was exposed. Moin and Trita Parsi. “Mr. Trump would be wise to remove this phrase from the American lexicon,” they wrote.
Opinion details
From the columnist
From a guest contributor
letter to the editor
