What made Altadena and Pacific Palisades special? Tell us and LAist will draw it

When disaster strikes, how do we move forward?

How do we emerge from the devastation and decide what to rebuild? How do we build our community and not forget what made it special in the first place?

These are questions I’ve been thinking about a lot since I lost my apartment in the Eaton Fire in January.

And it’s a question our LAist newsroom is bringing to you.

As residents navigate the recovery after the fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, LAist is working on an illustrated project to highlight your memories. It’ll be illustrated by me, David Rodriguez, a producer on LAist’s community engagement team, a longtime artist and a fire survivor myself. We'll read through your submissions and pick a selection that will be illustrated using the digital app Procreate. Through our shared experience, I’ll help bring your visions to life.

So tell us, what do you hope stays the same in your community after it's rebuilt? What questions or advice do you have for elected officials around rebuilding? Share your thoughts in the survey below and we may include them in our illustrated project.

My fire story

As soon as the power went out, I grabbed a flashlight and emergency radio stored in my studio apartment. I lived in the back house attached to the garage on my family’s property, so I made my way to the front house where my family was gathering lamps and batteries. The last time we felt winds that strong in Altadena was about 10 years ago when we lost power for about a week.

But this was much worse.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that night, from when we evacuated from the Eaton Fire around 3 a.m. to anxiously watching the news waiting to see if we recognized our house or block.

My apartment with all my personal items, including family VHS tapes, were destroyed along with my family’s belongings in the garage and storage in the backyard. The front home on the property is still standing but has needed to go through multiple repairs over the last several months.

I’ve lived in Altadena most of my life since my parents purchased the home in the late ‘90s. The neighborhood was very different then. We spent our time going back and forth between Pasadena to school, recreation centers and soccer fields. We had several family members and friends who lived in or around Altadena. This was, and still is, my home.

Since the Eaton Fire, I, like many of my family and friends, have been trying to navigate what’s next for recovery.

I’m still grieving the loss of my big small town. These last few weeks I’ve found myself in Altadena more. I’ve connected with other Altadenans, gone to local events at the public library or parks, and reminisced about what’s been destroyed.

I lost most of my art supplies to the fire, including my own art that I’ve created since I was a kid. Since the fires struck in January, I’ve been mostly drawing illustrations using new gear thanks to donations from friends and family.

An illustration of a parrot found in Altadena sitting on a branch of an avocado tree.

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Illustration by David Rodriguez

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Using illustrations to help the path forward

In the months since the fires, I’ve spent hours drawing things that remind me of Altadena. Things I wish I’d taken more photos or videos of before they were lost in the flames. Some of those illustrations include birds, houses and businesses.

I don’t think there's another place like Altadena. It has its own thing going on.

I’ve always admired the wide range of local spots in the area, and how beautiful the mountains look. Before the Eaton Fire, I used to love the way the sun shined on them as they peaked through trees of the old homes.

In conversations with other people who lost their apartments and homes in the Eaton Fire, we often talk about what we loved about living here, what we hope doesn’t change or what could change for the better.

I hope you’ll take our survey, and help me bring your visions and memories to life. Together, we can visualize our future Altadena and Pacific Palisades.