The Brief

Sicco Rood didn't know what to expect when he set out, in the last days of December, to paddle his canoe around the Salton Sea. The 300-square-mile lake in the Coachella Valley is California's largest inland water body and one of its most forbidding, at least for a long-distance adventure with just a paddle.

Temperatures around the lake can approach freezing in the winter and rise well above 100 degrees in the summer. There's no fresh water. And much of the lake is bordered by marsh, mudflats and quicksand.

While preparing for the trip, Rood, a 50-year-old photographer and research associate at UC Irvine's Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center in eastern San Diego County, hadn't come across any accounts of anyone ever having canoed around the lake before.

"Am I going to scrape along old bombs or get stuck in the weeds?" he recalled wondering. (The Navy's former Salton Sea Test Base practiced bombing during World War II in and around the lake.) "Or get blown into the middle of the sea by the winds?"

Sicco Rood set out to canoe around the Salton Sea to get beyond the lake's reputation as an environmental catastrophe.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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None of those things happened, although conditions weren't perfect enough for Rood to make it all the way around the inland sea, an estimated 87-95 miles by his planned route. A storm and a family commitment sent him home after six days of paddling with about one-third of the trip left to complete, which he hopes to do sometime this year.

Rood shared with LAist some of his photos from the trip, and his discoveries.

The lake's accidental creation

The modern version of the Salton Sea was accidentally created in 1905 when the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal and began flowing into the dry bed of historic Lake Cahuilla. (Prior to that, the lakebed naturally filled up and dried out periodically.)

Cormorants in the Salton Sea.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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The Salton Sea's trajectory since then has been turbulent — from a water sports and fishing mecca to a major ecological dilemma, seemingly ever on the brink of disaster.

It had intrigued Rood since he backpacked across the Santa Rosa Mountains several years ago to watch the sun rise and set over the lake. "It just looked like a jewel in the desert," he said.

He wanted to experience it close-up, which isn't easy — much of the lake's perimeter is inaccessible by road or trail, although one person did walk around it in 2015.

The Salton Sea from the Santa Rosa Mountains.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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Rood wanted to be on the lake. "I think there's no more intimate way to experience a lake or a sea than by way of canoe," he said.

Months of prep for challenging conditions

Rood spent months planning for his Salton Sea trip. He patched up his old canoe. He made a spreadsheet with everything he'd need, including a solar panel to keep his phone and camera batteries charged. He bought snowshoes at a thrift store, which he hoped would help him safely trek across mudflats to find dry spots for camping. (Good news, they worked!)

Right before the trip, Rood cached water at key spots along his route, for drinking but also for washing his feet, which he knew were likely to be frequently covered in the lake’s potentially toxic mud. The Salton Sea is fed mostly by agricultural runoff. Testing of sediments has found chemical compounds used in pesticides as well as elevated concentrations of heavy metals including arsenic and selenium.

Rood found a good weather window at the end of December and decided to go for it. Through a Salton Sea Facebook group, he found someone to help him get the canoe to his starting point, the former Navy base on the lake's southwest shore.

He set off on Dec. 29.

Finding life in a 'dead' place

The Salton Sea once supported a wide variety of fish but as the water has gotten steadily saltier — now nearly twice as salty as the ocean — only two species have survived: tilapia and endangered desert pupfish.

Barnacles are part of the food chain in the Salton Sea, though they are not native to the lake.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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The lake is also plagued by algae blooms that kill off fish, which in turn threaten the hundreds of bird species that depend on those fish for food. Plus, the shoreline has been receding for decades, exposing toxic dust that threatens the health of local communities.

These facts have given the lake an increasingly bleak reputation, But Rood says the dystopian narrative is wrong. "People have been saying the place is dead … but that's not what I saw at all."

What Rood experienced during his six days on the lake was abundant life, he said. Lush vegetation lined some parts of the lakeshore and he said he paddled past thousands of birds every day.

Rood also marveled at the solitude he found on the lake despite the millions of people who live within a few hours' drive. During his trip around the northern half of the lake, Rood didn't see a single person out on the water.

Black-necked stilts over the Salton Sea.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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For the first five days of the trip, he saw just one other human on shore, a lone fisherman near the old Navy base.

Rood had hoped to end back at the old military base, but strong winds and white caps during the middle of his trip forced him off the lake for hours at a time. Rain also seeped into a crack in his cell phone. It died, and he decided to call it quits, for now.

A snowy egret near the bank of the Salton Sea.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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An abandoned pier on the Salton Sea. The lake was a vibrant vacation destination for much of the 20th century.

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Courtesy Sicco Rood

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"It wasn't a race for me," Rood said of his truncated trip. "It was really about a retreat. … so I'll just come back later and finish."

Until he heads out again in his canoe, Rood is sharing photos and videos from the trip on social media in an effort to shake up the public’s perception of the Salton Sea as doomed, if not already dead.

"It's a beautiful place," Rood said, "it just needs protection."

How to visit

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena’s music community have really shown up to support fire survivors, especially fellow musicians who lost instruments and record collections.

That effort continues this weekend with a special donation concert at a Pasadena record store, with the aim of getting vinyl records back in the hands of survivors who lost their collections.

“You know, our name is Healing Force of the Universe, and I think that gives me a pretty clear direction… especially after the fires,” said Austin Manuel, founder of Pasadena record store, where Sunday’s show will be held.

The record donation effort is the brainchild of musician Brandon Jay, who founded the nonprofit Altadena Musicians after losing his home and almost all of his family’s instruments in the Eaton Fire. Through Altadena Musicians’s donation and registry platform, Jay said he and his partners have helped some 1,200 fire survivors get their music instruments back.

Brandon Jay.

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Robert Garrova

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LAist

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Now, that effort has fanned out to restoring vinyl record collections.

“All of that stuff evaporated for thousands of people,” Jay said. “Look at your own record collection and be like, ‘Wow, what if that whole thing disappeared?’”

You might know Jay from several bands over the years, including Lutefisk, a 1990s alt-rock band based in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, composed music for TV shows, including Orange is the New Black and Weeds.

Jay plans to play some holiday tunes at Sunday's record donation show (which LAist is the media sponsor), along with fellow musician Daniel Brummel of Sanglorians. Brummel, who was also a founding member of Pasadena’s indie-rock sensation Ozma, said he was grateful to Jay for his fire recovery work and to Manuel for making Healing Force available for shows like this.

Brummel, who came close to losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recalled a show he played at Healing Force back in March.

Ryen Slegr (left) and Daniel Brummel perform with their band, Ozma, on the 2014 Weezer Cruise.

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Even Keel Imagery

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“The trauma of the fires was still really fresh,” Brummel said. After playing a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going to a Town,” that night — which includes the lyrics “I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down” — Brummel said his neighbors in the audience told him the rendition hit them hard. “It felt really powerful. And without that space, it just wouldn’t have occurred.”

Details

Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show
Featuring: Quasar (aka Brandon Jay), Sanglorians (Daniel Brummel) and The Acrylic.
Sunday, Dec. 14; 2 to 5 p.m.
1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena
Tickets are $15 or you can donate 5 or more records at the door. More info here.

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.