The Brief

Two months and six days after the Eaton Fire broke out, on the very same day the Army Corps of Engineers came with bulldozers to clear the rubble of his burned down home, Matt Baffert finally got back out on the mountain trails.

“Idlehour Trail…in the upper Eaton Canyon,” he said. “For lack of a better word, my second home.”

Baffert works as a construction contractor by day. In his free time, he’s an avid mountain biker and trail steward, repairing trails after wildfires, floods and other mayhem in the Angeles National Forest. In 2019, he co-founded the Lowelifes Respectable Citizens’ Club, a dedicated nonprofit group of volunteer trail builders and menders.

Erik Hillard, CFO of Lowelifes (left) talks with Matt Baffert, CEO of Lowelifes (right) ahead of a trail work day on Mount Wilson in 2023.

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Erin Stone

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LAist

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Baffert and his crew have spent thousands of hours restoring trails in some of the more remote parts of the forest, including three off Mount Wilson that were heavily damaged after the Bobcat Fire and subsequent record rainstorms. That fire was the second-largest in L.A. County history, burning more than 115,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest in 2020.

Baffert’s group, in partnership with the Forest Service, has worked on those trails since. Thanks to their work, several of them are now open, but repairs are ongoing.

Matt Baffert during better days on the trails i the Angeles Forest.

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Brian Vernor

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LAist

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After the Eaton Fire, that volunteer work became more personal than ever. The January wildfire didn’t burn as many acres in the forest as the Bobcat, but it destroyed thousands more homes, including Baffert’s in Altadena, where he and his family lived for about seven years.

Baffert grew up in Long Beach, where he used to surf, but the mountains ended up calling him inland.

“Altadena, for me, is home, and the mountains and the trails are probably the biggest piece of that,” Baffert said.

Now, his mission is two-fold — rebuilding the trails he loves, while rebuilding his own home after fire.

Assessing the damage

On the same day the Army Corps was scheduled to clear the rubble of his home in mid-March, Baffert got the go-ahead from the Forest Service to assess the damage to nearby trails.

Before taking off for the wilderness above, Baffert and a friend and fellow trail steward made a stop.

“ I really wanted to see my property before it was gone,” he said. “I don't know why I was so compelled to do that.”

The view of the upper Idlehour trail in mid-March after the Eaton Fire.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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The drive through Altadena was heart-wrenching, Baffert said. Then came the next blow — to the 5.3-mile Idlehour trail up the mountain. They started their survey up at the Eaton Saddle and the plan was to ride their mountain bikes down from there.

“We had made our way maybe about one mile down the trail and the impact of the damages really started to escalate,” Baffert said. “As you progress down the trail, the after effects of rain and storms on completely burned areas just becomes more exponential.”

As they descended, things didn’t look so good — chaparral charred black; formerly lush, tree-shaded canyons now sparse; trails washed out from the recent storms.

Fellow Lowelifes volunteer and friend Eric Melanson surveys damage in the "Harvard Branch" area of Eaton Canyon.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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But there were pockets of hope.

“A moment of relief washed over me seeing green on the second half of Tom Sloane all the way to the saddle,” Baffert wrote in a web post of his post-fire observations on the group’s website. “Within the green are beautiful rock staircases built by the recently passed away volunteer and master mason, the legendary Dave Baumgartner.”

Despite the heartaches, Baffert also felt a sense of catharsis of finally knowing exactly how bad it all was. Baffert said he could now plan how to rebuild the trails — and his house.

Rebuilding home

Baffert said it’ll probably be at least three years before Idlehour and other heavily damaged trails reopen to the public.

A charred landscape in the upper Idlehour trail.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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Signs of regrowth as native Humboldt lilies peak out of ashy dirt in mid-March.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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“There's still cleansing that needs to take place, more erosion that's gonna take place,” Baffert told LAist. “Like we saw with the Bobcat Fire, eventually things start to stabilize. Chaparral starts to grow in. Roots start to bed into the hillsides. Eventually, you start to see things starting to hold.”

The aftermath of the Eaton Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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Once vegetation like chaparral takes hold, Baffert said they can start repairing the trails in earnest.

“It'll always look different, but you'll build a new relationship with the land, and then you'll realize that you kind of love it just as much as you did before,” Baffert said.

Even though things will never be exactly the same, Baffert said he’ll do everything he can to regain that old sense of home.

“Altadena’s forever changed,” Baffert said. “But everybody just kind of wants what they had before. So working towards that, like rebuilding my home and rebuilding Idlehour, I think of them collectively. It's a mission and I must do it.”

Before and after the Eaton Fire on the Idlehour trail.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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After the Eaton Fire on the Idlehour trail.

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Courtesy of Matt Baffert

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How to help

Baffert said Lowelifes always welcomes new volunteers. You can keep up with their post Eaton Fire efforts and sign up to volunteer here.

There are also other trail steward groups in the region, including:

• Angeles Volunteer Association
• Bear Canyon Trail Crew (and their meetup group)
• Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association
• Mt. Wilson Bicycle Association
• Restoration Legacy Crew
• The Sturtevant Conservancy
• See a full list of volunteer groups active in the Angeles National Forest here.

What trails are now open?

On Friday, the Angeles National Forest officially reopened multiple popular trails after the Eaton Fire, including:

• Switzer Picnic Site
• Chantry Flat Recreation Area
• Upper and Lower Winter Creek trails
• Sturtevant Trail
• Sturtevant Loop
• Gabrielino National Recreation Trail (all of it is open)
• Gould Mesa Campground

See the map of all open trails here.

These trails remain closed:

• Bear Canyon Trail
• Bear Canyon Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Echo Mountain Picnic Area
• Echo Mtn Trail via Cobb Estate
• Hoegees Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Idlehour Trail
• Idlehour Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Ken Burton Trail
• Millard Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Mt. Lowe Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Mt. Wilson Skyline Park Picnic Site
• Mt. Wilson Trail
• Paul Little Picnic Area
• Sam Merrill (lower) Trail
• Sam Merrill (middle) Trail
• Spruce Grove Trail Camp (Hike-in Campground)
• Zion Trail

Keep up with the latest on closures here.

And remember, if you do visit the forest, tread lightly and stay on the trails — the land still needs time to heal, and higher traffic on trails after fires is one reason trails and landscapes can face further damage.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.