Elected officials, community leaders and policy experts came together Thursday, March 20, to discuss the challenges to wildfire recovery in Los Angeles for the latest in UCLA's Luskin speaker series, "Defining L.A.'s Future: The Collision of Federal Politics and Local Realities."
Hosted by the Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, interim dean of Luskin, opened the event with remarks calling for recovery efforts that serve all.
"Our response as a city must be one of resilience, but also justice, ensuring that voices serve all residents, Loukaitou-Sideris said. "Tonight, we bring together leading voices in politics, media and planning to provide an overview of local recovery efforts and the impact of systemic barriers and federal policy on equitable recovery efforts."
Amada Armenta, LPPI faculty director, then provided an introduction to the discussion, saying, "This disaster has had far-reaching impacts across Los Angeles, but we also know that recovery doesn't look the same for everyone. Many communities simply don't have the same resources to rebuild and data from LPPI, the Bunche Center, the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, and the Asian American Studies Center show just how uneven those impacts have been."
Journalist, author and former Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos moderated the panel, which featured California District 55 Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez and Cecilia Estolano, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Estolano Advisors.
Bryan highlighted the need to address the root causes of wildfires, including climate. He pointed to the increasing frequency of wildfires and the inability to deploy aerial fleets due to severe winds, arguing for long-term investments to address these worsening conditions. Hernandez raised concerns over health challenges faced by communities of color, noting that Black and Latino communities already face disparities related to cardiovascular issues, which are further exacerbated by wildfire smoke.
The panel explored wildfire prevention and strategies for equitable rebuilding. Panelists discussed constraints to prevention, the climate crisis and findings from LPPI's wildfire briefs — showing 74,000 Latino workers and at least 2,800 Black households affected.
Bryan called for fighting fossil fuel impacts and easing permitting, while Hernandez stressed health aid, worker relief and denser housing. On zoning, Estolano proposed leveraging California's redevelopment law to create disaster recovery zones, buy land from owners who are unable to rebuild and increase housing density.
"This is a major disaster," Estolano said. "If there was ever a time to bring back some form of tax increment financing where the city and the county and the school districts decide to share the income and put it back into the community ... this is the reason to do it."
Armenta added: "We can't continue with business as usual when so many families are still in need of help. We're facing multiple crises — from a strained city budget to federal priorities that harm immigrant communities — but all is not lost. Each of us has a role to play in helping Los Angeles recover and ensuring we take care of one another."
The evening concluded with Bryan and Hernandez presenting Ramos with City of Los Angeles and California resolutions honoring him for his 40-year career in journalism and his lasting impact on the Latino community.
