The Brief

For over 12 years, Monica Vasquez made the trek from her home in South L.A. to her jobs in the Pacific Palisades. She started off as a nanny and later switched to cleaning houses.

To Vasquez, the families she worked for weren't just her patrones, or bosses.

“We don’t just go to work and leave,” Vasquez said in Spanish, adding that they share and connect over many things.

Version en español

“There are people who put their trust in us and make us feel like family,” she said.

Domestic workers’ place in the economy 

Vasquez is one of an unknown number of domestic workers out of work after the Palisades Fire wiped out homes and killed at least eight people. She said on Tuesday that five out of the seven homes she cleaned burned down, and the other two remain under evacuation orders.

Domestic workers — nannies, gardeners, attendants for older adults — are a huge part of the region’s economy. More than 100,000 of them work in L.A. County — many of them immigrants.

Eight out of 10 California domestic workers are people born outside of the country, according to a UCLA Labor Center report.

“They're always forgotten when it comes to resources, especially undocumented people,” said Odilia Romero, co-founder and executive director of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), said.

Odilia Romero, co-founder and executive director of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo, photographed in her home.

(

Samanta Helou Hernandez

/

LAist

)

CIELO is one of several organizations helping domestic workers in the aftermath of the L.A. fires, particularly by providing food boxes and translating crucial information into indigenous languages including Yucatec Maya, Ayutla Mixe and K’iche’ that derive from Mexico and Central America.

Mutual aid has been crucial for immigrant communities, as some may not be eligible for federal assistance.

President Joe Biden recently announced that L.A. fire victims could receive $770 through a FEMA application, but only some workers will be eligible for the payments. A FEMA criteria lists that green card holders, refugees, DACA recipients and others are "qualified non-citizens." It also notes that immigrants in mixed-status families with minors may be considered for funds.

“Without migrants, there is no way the economy we have in California will exist,” Romero said. Domestic workers are high-skilled essential workers, she added. “Imagine someone raising your child – it's not just anybody.”

The Palisades as neighborhood and workplace 

Vasquez has built a network of clients over the dozen years she’s worked in the Palisades. She said all her jobs have been through referrals. As her client base of Palisades homes grew, so did her crew.

Vasquez employs her four “chicas,” mostly family members, including her daughter who uses her wages to help pay for college.

“Because of my referrals, I’ve been able to help many people find jobs,” she said. “I’ve helped my community.”

“People find love, they [find] forever friends, they eat together, they ride together,” Romero, from CIELO, said. “ It's such beautiful stories that these women, these men create in that part of our town.”

Monica Vasquez and her daughters Keyra, Jakelinne, and Estefania. Her eldest would often help Vasquez clearning houses in the Palisades.

(

Samanta Helou Hernandez

/

LAist

)

It’s also a part of town that has sustained Vasquez’s livelihood. She and her crew work on a cluster of homes, sometimes several in the same day. Without her Palisades work, she has only two other cleaning jobs in other parts of town.

All Vasquez wants to do is find work. She has family members depending on her and car payments and other bills stacking up.

Thankfully, she said, she has gotten texts about possibilities in other areas.

Still, “it’s going to be hard to start all over again,” she said.

Highlighting workers

Although Pacific Palisades wasn’t where Vasquez lived, the beach town was also her community. The same was true for Fernando Lopez’s family.

Lopez’s mother cleaned houses in the Palisades when he was growing up. Through her work, she was able to enroll him in school there.

Many of his friends’ homes, businesses and local landmarks were destroyed by the Palisades Fire, including his alma mater – Palisades High.

Lopez, who is co-owner of the L.A. restaurant Guelaguetza, quickly mobilized last week to help workers who “often get lost in the shadows” in moments of crisis, he said. He got the word out about a GoFundMe for domestic workers created in partnership with nonprofit organizations, including CIELO. And his restaurant and others will donate portions of their profits.

They’re almost at their $80,000 goal as of Thursday morning.

Resources for domestic workers

• Informal service workers (street vendor, gardener, housekeeper, caretaker, or other self-employed worker) who live or work in Council District 7 can apply here. Funding is provided by the council district and is first come first served.
• Small businesses or self employed people who make under 250,000 can apply to TMC Community Capital’s lottery program, which is funded by the Latino Community Foundation and others
• For indigenous communities: Contact CIELO at Info@mycielo.org or via their Instagram. / Para las comunidades indígenas: Póngase en contacto con CIELO en Info@mycielo.org o a través de su Instagram.
• For outdoor workers – street vendors, landscapers and recyclers: Apply to Inclusive Action’s emergency fund. / ara trabajadores al aire libre: vendedores ambulantes, paisajistas y recicladores: Solicite al fondo de emergencia de Acción Inclusiva.
• For Filipino workers: Contact Pilipino Workers Center at (213) 250-4353.
• For unemployed workers: Connect with L.A. County’s Department of Economic Opportunity services here. There is also a small grant for residents living in an area of the San Fernando Valley. / Para los trabajadores desempleados: Conecte con los servicios del Departamento de Oportunidades Económicas del condado de Los Ángeles aquí.
• For workers in the U.S. without authorization: You may qualify for public funds. Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) has a fund and you can get more information by calling (888)-6-CHIRLA. / Para trabajadores en EE.UU. sin autorización: Es posible que pueda optar a fondos públicos. La Coalición por los Derechos Humanos de los Inmigrantes de Los Ángeles (CHIRLA) ha creado una guía en Instagram o llame al (888)-6-CHIRLA.
• The California Domestic Workers Coalition also launched a relief fund to help workers pay their rent and buy food. You can call them for more info (415) 625-3124.
• LAist has compiled a list of resources, though not all may be available to people of every immigration status. / LAist ha recopilado una lista de recursos, aunque puede que no todos estén disponibles para personas con cualquier estatus migratorio.

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho, " in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
Copyright 2026 NPR

Hermon — Some shoppers heading into Fresco Market were lost in their phones, but when they momentarily looked up, they were greeted by a flap of brilliant green feathers and a cheery squawk. Phones were put away.

“Pepe! Hey Pepe! So good to see you!”

Perched on the shoulder of T.J. Gonzalez, Pepe the Parrot was in full greeter mode. Wide-eyed and seeming to almost smile as he surveyed the parking lot and his approaching public, Pepe did what he naturally does: make people happy.

A common sight at the Hermon market, near where they live, Gonzalez and Pepe can also be found at community centers, farmers’ markets and local events. They often take the Metro into downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and other locations.

There’s no money asked, stressed Gonzalez, adding that Pepe simply adores the attention. “People want to see and talk with him more than me,” he joked as he cracked a nut and placed it in his mouth. On cue, the bird reached around Gonzalez’s mouth to retrieve it.

Michael Eagle-Hall of El Sereno is delighted to meet Pepe outside of the Fresco Market in Hermon.

(

Brenda Rees

/

The Eastsider

)

A mail carrier for 37 years before he retired, Gonzalez found Pepe, a red-crowned Amazon (flocks are often seen in Northeast L.A.) in July 2021. The chick had fallen out of a nest and was flailing on a busy street in San Marino. “He was like roadkill,” said Gonzalez, who watched cars drive over (without striking) the bird.

Gonzalez retrieved the parrot and looked for help, but wildlife rehabbers said they’d euthanize the bird since it had a broken wing. Gonzalez instead brought him to a vet and christened him Pepe.

Since Pepe could not fly, Gonzalez started walking him around the neighborhood. He soon discovered how kids and adults enjoyed interacting with the parrot. Pepe is also a social media darling, with more than 8,600 followers on Instagram.

Pepe is more of a squawker than a talker, but Gonzalez has learned how to art-direct photos of people and the bird, instructing them on how to hold their hands and arms best. “We just want that smile because that’s all that Pepe wants from you,” said Gonzalez.

Crews have now recovered the bodies of all nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche in Northern California earlier this week. It marks an end to what authorities on Saturday described as an agonizing five-day search and recovery operation complicated by intense winter storms northwest of Lake Tahoe.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon during a Saturday news conference.

Until Saturday, authorities had not confirmed the death of a ninth victim, a skier who had been missing and presumed dead. Officials say their body was found near the eight other victims that have now been recovered. Authorities said avalanche hazards and weather conditions were too dangerous most of the week to search for the remaining victim or recover the bodies.

Four of the bodies were recovered on Friday, and the rest of the bodies were recovered on Saturday, all in the Castle Peak area where the avalanche – one of the deadliest in California history — struck. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived Tuesday's disaster, the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip. One guide and five travelers were among the survivors.

Helicopters with the California National Guard as well as the California Highway Patrol were used to hoist the remaining bodies from the mountain, officials said at the press conference.

On Friday, officials were able to use specialized techniques with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric to reduce the avalanche risk.

The ski trip was organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides, an outdoor tour company based in Truckee, Calif. Moon confirmed the identities of the victims. Three guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nev.; Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif.; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The other victims, who had signed up for the group trip, are: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

The Sierra Avalanche Center classified the avalanche between a D2 and D3 on the avalanche danger scale.

"A D2 would take down a person. A D3 would take down a house, so it was right in between those. It was described by them as a football field length of a path of the avalanche," Sheriff Moon said on Saturday.

Multiple agencies are investigating.

"We are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence," Ashley Quadros with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in an email to NPR on Sunday. "It is a standard investigation. It is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing."

The area will be closed to visitors for several weeks.
Copyright 2026 NPR