After the Ashes: A Beautiful Altadena Podcast

Episode 21: Rebuilds, Roadblocks and the Coming Water Fight

• Shawna Dawson Beer

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Recorded December 9, Episode 21 takes listeners through a pivotal week in our community’s recovery and resilience. We begin the episode with a milestone worth celebrating: the first homes rebuilt in both Altadena and the Palisades, but there's always more to the story. Then we turn to local spirit with a recap of the 105th Christmas Tree Lane lighting—a tradition that refuses to dim no matter how dark the year. Our media roundup pulls no punches, even if much of the press seems intent on that status quo. We look at Governor Newsom’s failed push in Washington for additional CDBG-DR funds, and the quieter but far more consequential story: his veto of AB 797, a decision that could have eased financial pressure for fire-impacted communities like Altadena and the Palisades months ago but would have shifted control away from those intent on keeping it.

And in a preview of next week’s deep dive, we open the door to one of the most urgent emerging issues: Altadena's water districts. Specifically, we highlight the Las Flores Water Company’s special meeting this Thursday, December 11 at the Altadena Library, where they’ll discuss the proposed “Fire Recovery Charge”—a fee expected to hit at least $3,000 per household. What’s happening, why it matters, and what it could mean for residents starts here.

This week’s Small Biz Shoutout goes to Cleo’s Critter Care—a local gem with an incredible story. Follow Cleo’s journey and her search for a new home on Instagram @cleoscrittercare and show some love to those who give so much to our community with her GoFundMe as she looks for a new location post-fire. 

SPEAKER_00:

Hi, welcome back to After the Ashes, the beautiful Altadina podcast. I'm your co-host Steve. I'm here with my other co-host.

SPEAKER_02:

It's Shauna.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, Shauna.

SPEAKER_02:

Hi, everybody.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. For those of you that have been listening, this is now episode 21. Sorry, it's just so many of these.

SPEAKER_02:

Read the piffy title, please.

SPEAKER_00:

The one that you wrote. Rebuilds, roadblocks, and the coming water fight. There's no Oxford comma in this, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

I know. I'm going to add the Oxford comma. It's not a good idea.

SPEAKER_00:

Just making sure that you know that because the listeners won't be able to see it, but I do.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm a little weird about the Oxford comma because one, I'm old, and two, I did a stint as an editor. So you're not old. I'm a fan. I'm older. I for sure the Oxford comma is lost on your kids' generation.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, if it doesn't automatically generate because AI doesn't create it, then no.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. So but I will I will defend the Oxford comma all day.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, I have a I have a good friend that this that's definitely a thing for him, and he points it out whenever I forget it. So in the substack, for he's one of my five loyal readers. So for any for anyone one of my best friends, yes, you are listening, and I know you know who you are.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. I was saying for anyone who is listening and does not know what the Oxford comma is, the Oxford comma is in a sentence that with multiple where multiple commas will be engaged and precedes the word and so instead of having noun or verb, or really it would be noun, and noun, it is in fact noun, com noun, I'm sorry, noun, comma, noun, comma, and and to to you'd add the comma before to break that, to really break it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_02:

And I like it because sometimes when you're reading nice, Steve. We've been talking about Tame and Pala this morning because Tame and Pala, I've been joking that all roads lead to Tame and Pala. Somehow they have entered the zeitgeist, and I feel like I'm at Costco, I'm in a coffee shop, I'm at running errands, I wherever I go, I'm in the grocery store, there's tame and paula.

SPEAKER_00:

It's like the pop music version of lounge music.

SPEAKER_02:

It kind of is.

SPEAKER_00:

It actually really kind of like fades into the background, you don't even notice it's there.

SPEAKER_02:

It's I would give you that. It's really good on vinyl, too. I just got my hi-fi set up again.

SPEAKER_00:

For those of you that weren't born in the last, you know, 40 years. Don't knock vinyl. The young people are like, hi-fi is what they used to call record players.

SPEAKER_02:

The young people are are doing this more than we are.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, because whatever's old is new. So, and you know, maybe CDs will be back after that.

SPEAKER_02:

I got I hope not.

SPEAKER_00:

They're all ripped up.

SPEAKER_02:

I really hope not. Um, so here we are.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

What are we talking about today, Steve? It's been a big week, another big week because here we are coming in um closer and closer to this one year anniversary. Um in the headlines, as we before we head into our media roundup, you know, we had the first couple of homes have been rebuilt in our respective fire communities. Uh, one in Altadina, one in Palisades.

SPEAKER_00:

Let's use the proper term. Was it built or was it a prefab? It's a prefab. Okay. Yep. So that is a different type of build. When we think build, I think people are thinking like sticks, the wood.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, the Palisades build that is substantial. You know, it's it's an appropriate size home for that for the lot that it's built on.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's line to lot line from light on the line. With a pool in the back. Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

And that's about it. That's kind of the sign of times and what we have to come.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Sorry, I'm looking at you funny because now you got me thinking about the duplex issue. Oh, that's not today's subject. Don't but it is in the news. It is, it is. Well, actually, we will talk about it in a moment. But um, to Steve's point, so the first the first rebuild in the community was actually in the city of Pasadena, not technically Altadena. And that home had been started and permitted prior to the fire.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

So, you know, between those, you know, factors, that's what got it to the finish line first. The next one up and and people moving in, prefab. Um, and again, it's very possible because I know some in the community have said, oh no, I've seen other homes that were built first. The differentiators is certificate of occupancy. So meaning the home has actually been cleared and someone can, in fact, move into it. Because I know that we have a few homes, we have a few neighbors and um folks specifically in our group who um are so close. They are so, so close. They expect to be back into new pre-fab homes that will be done um sometime in the next month or two, if not for the holidays um in the new year, early in the new year, which is really exciting for those families who are eager to get back. Um, over in the Palisades, um, like I said, they just had their first build that is a stick build, meaning, you know, that's a full ground up build on site. And that build, kind of interestingly, um, was done by a developer who plans to use it as a showcase home. So that one, no one is.

SPEAKER_00:

What they do in those subdivisions and those master built communities.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Where you have a model home.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, when you're driving out the 210 freeway towards like Rancho and this is a mirror. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

If you lived in Vegas, which I did for a while, yep, that is the thing. So, you know, that's so that's kind of I did briefly. Oh wow, it was not for me, not surprisingly. It was uh I lived in New Orleans for a brief time. I've heard New Orleans is great, and it is. I'm gonna say that was for me, and in a different way I could stay there. I love New Orleans, New Orleans, New Orleans, correctly, but uh in Louisiana, Cajun. Well, depending, depending on who you are, what you are, but yeah, Cajun, Creole. Anyhow, I won't get into all the other uh fun uh everything. They have everything in New Orleans, but yeah, beautiful city, and you know, unfortunately one um that is no stranger to what we are experiencing right now. Um, but anyhow, um, separate of our homes that are going up and seeing that kind of progress finally start to percolate. Um, we also, you know, had the the big fanfare around the 105th lighting, annual lighting of Christmas Tree Lane, which is Santa Rosa, which, you know, is not too far from your place, Steve. It's just a couple blocks south of uh where my home was. I used to walk down there every year. I'm personally not a fan of crowds in general. It's not like a thing that's you know special this year. I don't like crowds. So I would always wait until after the official lighting when everyone was dispersing, but before they reopened the streets.

SPEAKER_00:

That's exactly well, Amber and I were just talking about that. Amber, our producer here, we were just talking about that too.

SPEAKER_02:

It was great. I would walk down late, enjoy it while the streets were still closed and there was no vehicle traffic, but also um as everybody was leaving and clearing out, and it's just really beautiful and you could enjoy it. So I know that there were very mixed feelings about this. Like one um overwhelming tide of sentiment that of from people really excited to be there and that that it's as a beacon of hope and the miracle that our trees are still standing in that area.

SPEAKER_00:

As long as they're five feet back from the house.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I don't please don't get me started today on that nonsense. I cannot. Like it's no, it's not, it's no accident that the homes and little areas that survived are surrounded by thickets of trees because guess what? The trees actually save homes from fire. But we don't who was discussing who's talking facts when we can who's talking facts when we can say climate, climate, climate, and make stupid legislation. And then build houses that go correct lot line to lot line when we have not enough water, which is what something else we're gonna talk about, um, or any other resources for our current population, but absolutely let's try and double it and see what happens. Good times. So uh there was a lot of like really positive sentiment, and I saw so many beautiful posts in our group from people who and videos and and some really good media coverage from people who went and were able to participate, obviously from our neighbors in the community who are volunteers, because this is a this has always been a volunteer labor of love. Love, like one of my friend's sons was actually, I didn't realize, but he had been volunteering this year for the first time and had been there every weekend for months working on lights. And so it is a really beautiful thing. And I know I will go and enjoy it on a quiet weeknight. Um, as I'm sure it'll be very emotional to be there. Um, one of my neighbors actually said, one of my neighbors who lives just south of me who was saying, who I should say, we should have no view of anything, no view of Christmas Tree Lane, no view of the city, no view of downtown. We now have all of those views because there the view is unobstructed. And she was saying, because she's living on her lot currently in a um like a temporary um ADU situation or a city, you know, she has like a pod that she'll use in the future as an ADU when her home is rebuilt. But she was saying, like, oh my gosh, Shauna, I can see Christmas tree lane from my house, from my yard. Like this should not, I shouldn't be able to, but I can, and it's beautiful. So there was that. And then understandably for some it was just too difficult, you know, it's too painful to be there. Um, and I understand that. I get it, you know. And also some questions of like, does Disney really have a place here? And it's you know, I think this thing has grown into such a beast.

SPEAKER_00:

What Disney's involved with Christmas tree like?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah, yeah. They had a little volunteer village, and is that why Mickey was a little bit of a there was Disney, uh-huh, and there was Disney branding, and you know, I think uh I understand why people have mixed feelings. I'll leave it at that. I understand the mixed feelings, yeah, but I think that it speaks to the fact that nothing is going to be the same again.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. We've ushered in a new era, and um well, yeah, we're still figuring our way through the dark, and there's gonna be a lot of change, and exactly just because something's there today doesn't mean it'll be there tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02:

Ain't that the truth? I like to say the only constant is change. Um, so on that, things that didn't change or perhaps were not surprising. Um our our friend Gavin, um, I wanted to say, like, you know, like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Mr. Newsome's uh trip to DC.

SPEAKER_00:

I I said that that was my title, Mr. Newsome Goes to Washington.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you did? Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00:

That was the title. Well, but it means like Mr. Smith goes to Washington. Yes, I love it. It wasn't with the same altruistic intent.

SPEAKER_02:

So, do you want to talk about that? What walk us through what he was there for, what happened?

SPEAKER_00:

We tried to do that on the uh substance.

SPEAKER_02:

As we know, this a lot of people listen because it's easier than reading. So also, also, uh please set up for us why this is relevant and important for Altadina.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So, what happened was about a month ago or a month and a half ago, I was in DC and I was meeting with some electeds, and they were talking about this CDBG DR money, which is the federal funds, the 40 billion that everybody's been waiting for. And there it has been shut down essentially by the Trump administration and the Republican Congress because they're trying to reset the rules of the disaster investment or the disaster industry.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you want to cover for people before we go too deep what CDB uh BG money is and specifically what CDBR money is?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I mean, it's sort of this mixed bag. So initially the money that comes in is FEMA. Everybody knows FEMA. You all think FEMA that's the money that stands us up and it deals with the response. So FEMA's the one that did the clearing of the lots, whether you like it or not, whatever your comp, you know, your opinion of it is. It also helps with the immediate disaster relief that the state and the county use. So I think we got something like 7 billion in FEMA money. Uh the Biden administration maxed it out before they left. So that was initially how disasters happened until Hurricane Andrew, for those of us that are old enough to remember, which was in the early 90s, it was 92, I think it was, and that was an election year in Florida, which Florida used to be a swing state. And Bush, it would devastated South Florida. It was just south of Miami. And the idea was not only was FEMA going to be involved, but for the first time, Congress supplementally appropriated money. So that's legislative speak for giving money in addition to the money that was otherwise allocated. And so Congress put all this money into South Florida, and that began the post-disaster industrial complex that they call it. And all these companies now started coming in because there was all this federal money. Then you had the riots in Los Angeles, and then you had the Northridge earthquake, and then we had the big one was Katrina. And since Katrina, every disaster just keeps growing and growing and growing in terms of size because everybody knows the federal government's gonna come in afterward. So Trump's administration said, and they did this in North Carolina, it's not a California-specific thing, even though California likes to say it is. They said, we are gonna stop the money that's gonna be flowing through this disaster fund unless the states come up with adequate money to supplement. In other words, the federal government, you've heard this before with this administration, is getting out of the where the main driver of the disaster relief. We want to be able to fill in where the disaster, where there's holes and gaps. So for instance, if a charity needs to, you know, feed people, you know, long-term or something like that, then that might be something that the federal government might be able to go into because there's not a commercial intent. But to go rebuild, you know, give property owners money to go rebuild something when you can adequately raise funds in the private sector, that's where the federal government's saying, whoa, we can't just be granting money at will. Because if you want an example of what that looks like, take a look at homelessness, right? And how a lot of that money gets allocated to certain causes and doesn't go to where it's needed, or the fire aid money. So they're saying, look, we're gonna step back, we're gonna let you try to solve the problem. Like we most parents will say to their kids, solve your problem first and then come to me, and then I can help you where you need the help the most. That's what the government was saying. California decided to dig its heels in and say, no, we're gonna sit back and we're gonna wait for the 40 billion. So it became a pissing match between Trump and Gavin. As we said, Al Tadena got caught between a president and a governor who wants to be president. And as the situation started to get more tense as the spring and summer evolved, that's why we introduced 797. That's why we were introducing other bills like the opportunity zone money and disaster investment funds to try to bring in private capital, which is more patient capital. It can wait. It doesn't have to be, you know, it we don't need to be paying debt on it immediately like you would normally, as in a bond or something to that effect. So we were trying to reimagine how this would look without the federal money because$40 billion is a big hole. Yes, it is. The powers that be in Los Angeles dug in their heels. The philanthropic community, especially, was leading the charge. And they hired a lobbyist. They were well, the lobby, same lobbyist I think that works for the state, and they were going and hitting the hill hard, hoping over the summer. I think this is my own opinion, but I you know, prove me wrong, that another disaster would occur in a place like Louisiana or Florida or somewhere else where the president would be forced to have to give that money because it's not only a Democrat, it's a Republican state as opposed to a Democratic state. So no disasters hit, but they were able to backdoor into they were able to get a bill going. There was a bill moving through the Senate, and Senator Scott, Tim Scott, was putting it together and it was for housing, and they were going to pre-op it to authorize the CDBG money permanently because right now it's on a temporary basis. It's if it happens, it happens. And they were gonna have an account that was almost like revolving account in there. It was attached to the National Defense Authorization Bill, which is the defense bill, and that bit because that's the only bill that's gonna move in this Congress right now, it's a bipartisan bill. It every year gets through. So it has what we call a Christmas tree bill. You put a lot of things on it and then see what sticks. And that was gonna be the answer, and it was gonna give everybody the chance to at least get some CDBG money. That bill was in reconciliation, it was on the Senate side. The House side did not contain the same language. The bill got to reconciliation where the House and the Senate come together and they try to put the bills together to try to figure out what stays and what goes, and it was taken out. So now here we are. We've wasted 11 months, folks, waiting around for this money, money that otherwise we had to shut down 797 potentially because maybe that offered an off-ramp that they didn't want to have available. And we have the governor going up there saying that, you know, Washington has turned us down. We have no money. What are we gonna do? We have Politico writing the article, Liam Dillon's article a couple weeks back, quoting our assemblyman Herobedian, you know, we have too many cooks and we have no money. What are we gonna do? We have Justin Warland's article in Time, a national publication.

SPEAKER_02:

In my hot little hands right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Hot little hands. Like it was published online the 20th of November. Now it's out in newsstands. For those of you in Los Angeles, you may know or in Pasadena, you may notice it has turtles on the cover. But in I've been assured that people who subscribed to it had gotten the Altadina picture on the cover. Um, but the bottom line is that his point was the biggest mystery right now is money. It goes back to March when the Urban Uh Land Institute said the same thing. It's all about money. And our governor turned down the money, and now he's sitting there looking at everybody saying, What am I gonna do? The federal government hosed us, and in reality, folks, we hosed ourselves. And so I I wrote an ar I wrote a piece on that, I think Saturday or Friday night, because I read it Friday night, and I couldn't believe the chutzpah, as they say in Yiddish, the balls, the balls is what it means. It's it's it's amazing to me that we're sitting here and he's complaining that we don't have any answers. So that's where we are. They they went all in on the C D BG, and now we are 11 months and there's no money on the horizon, and the best opportunity we had has been vetoed six weeks ago.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Do we think it'll be re do we think we it we might see that be rekindled?

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know. I I I you know I wrote in the piece on Friday night that I think if it's going to be rekindled, it's going to I I I I think they have to reposition it. You know, the positioning will probably be something to the effect of Trump turned us down, we have no offer, no ideas, we need to look at this new mechanism. It won't be what we suggested, but it'll be similar enough that those that can read between the lines will notice where it came from. But there's no way in hell we'll ever get competition. The uh, you know, the credit for the case. Yeah. No.

SPEAKER_02:

I think it's an interesting conversation because, you know, to your point, uh so many pieces at play, right? I I wish I could um have a dollar for everyone in our community, especially in our our local community leaders who are really kind of starting to come around and see, you know, people who I would say six months ago didn't necessarily understand all of this policy, didn't necessarily understand the issues, what was at play, different pieces being moved now who have a much better sense of things and uh a much different perspective, and who bluntly are just like, I'm so sick of the usual structure and the usual suspects and the usual power plays and all the maneuvering that is ultimately to benefit those who are in power to keep them in power, but not ultimately about our communities, even though the the part the taglines are always that it's about us. It's not. It's not.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, we were a pawn in this thing.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And the reason why is that they needed to keep the system. Now, here's another interesting thing, though. You know, while we may be noticing this here in Altadena and in the Palisades, I'm sure you have a similar um feeling about it. This morning I got a text from a friend who said, Oh, you were wrong about Prop 50. Look at the governor's at 56%. He's up 10% since the Prop 50, you know, um event.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that it? It seems like people love Newsom, yet Newsom's only at 56%.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I said in the Soviet era, they had like 90% popularity because there's no competition. I mean, you look at where we are in California.

SPEAKER_02:

If you were not a fan, you'd be shot. What's your alternative? Accidentally fall out of off of a roof.

SPEAKER_00:

And what's your alternative here? I mean, and I said sugar high. I, you know, I'll go back to Mark Beerback's great articles in the lead up to Prop 50. This is sugar high politics, right? It's a sugar high. The governor is riding high to a relative sense, but reality is going to set in. And I think the more as much as long as the media wants to cover it a certain way, and Shauna, you're in PR, you understand how this works. Yeah, the governor's going to look good. But if the media really wants to pull it back, and again, it's not the individual stories, it's not the stories that, you know, LA County's failed, the cat, the state has failed. You know, those individual stories in and of themselves, without a broader context, get lost. Right. And so it's great CYA for the media to be able to say, oh, well, look, we reported on it, but then do you report on how that fits into the broader context of this extraordinary pattern of absolute abject failure that hasn't been reported on. And whenever anybody says that, it's like, oh, well, you're just a lone wolf. You're you're crazy. You're a Republican. You must be MAGA. I'm sorry, what? No. I'm sorry. Our government is failing us. Yeah. Drive down the streets in the city, folks.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Like, well, I mean, I think the homeless crisis, again, is a really good way of looking at uh at government failure on a uh significant and catastrophic uh when you're celebrating four percent that's what I mean. But when you talk about the money, how many billions of dollars including all of our taxpayer dollars that we continue to vote on? Because just like anything that has the word climate attached to it, we are going to vote yes for things that we believe are going to get the unhoused off the streets. But that's not what it does. I know you know that. I now understand that. But you know, I, like so many, have voted that way in the past because that is what we believe. But now the blinders are being pulled, pulled off. We're we're getting a little bit more of a view of reality. As I've said, I didn't think there was anything. I I am I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone on so many levels, Steve. Like I've said before, I didn't think that. Well, I won't even get into my personal life, and that that's uh that's its own fucking, I don't know, it's either a Hallmark movie or a porn film, depending on how you lean.

SPEAKER_00:

But it's a porn film.

SPEAKER_02:

It is.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not gonna tell you where my brain went.

SPEAKER_02:

But you know, my point my point simply is that you know, you know, we're all living, it feels like this alternate reality. And I've said in the past that I didn't think there was any universe where you could turn people against their first responders, and we've obviously seen that happen in the community in a really significant way, especially now as we are still going into a year waiting for any kind of accountability and change, not just us, the Palisades, who, as we talked about in our last episode, are getting ready to have their big and their big one-year um rally around the theme of they let us burn because guess what? It it didn't just happen to us, it happened to them too. But um it is also this thing where, you know, for me, like I'm a lifelong liberal, right? I mean, I'm very I am. I'm I said before I think you're very clear about that. I lean, you know, I may have um some fiscal leanings that are more moderate, centrist, rep gasp, republican even. But for the most part, as far as you know, social welfare, et cetera, I I really lean towards being a democratic socialist because I, you know, I don't think it is a wild idea that all of our tax dollars, when there's so much money in this country and this state, should be able to fund people's ability to have health care taken care of and not have it be dependent upon an employer, especially in a world that is so volatile that people can hardly keep a job, let alone or holding down multiple. It's you know, it just keeping people sick is not the answer. Um, I believe if you do get sick, you shouldn't be bankrupted and end up losing your home over that. Or if your child gets sick or or another family member, no one should have a fear of going to the hospital because they can't afford it.

SPEAKER_00:

No, health is a lot, health insurance is a right. It's not a privilege.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, really? Is that what you think, Steve? Because that's a democratic socialist belief.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's a democratic belief.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's a democratic socialist belief.

SPEAKER_00:

I think the Democratic Party feels the same way.

SPEAKER_02:

I think they're leaning that way because of pressure from the government.

SPEAKER_00:

Barack Obama was trying to get it. I think I think Hillary Clinton tried to get socialized medicine at some point.

SPEAKER_02:

But anyhow, it my point is that, like, even though that is, you know, like for me, that is my ideology and that is where I come from. Um, at the same time, you know, I find myself, you know, leaning a little further into the middle in our in this state, only because what is happening is so wacky. And it's like, I can't say it enough. Like, uh, you've heard me say this a dozen times. I'll say it again, like the call is coming from inside the house. It's us. There's no one else to blame here. It's our party.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, we vote the bums in and we need to throw the bums out.

SPEAKER_02:

And who knew that the bums were virtually all of our electeds? Well, I you know, it all certainly not every single one, but I think we have set up a system. There's no accountability. Correct. And unf and worse, we have set up a system where our electeds have to be uh their number, their primary constituent are their funders. The likes of unions, the likes of SCE. I could go on, but I don't have to because this is all public record information that any of you can go look it up, look up at any time and see who's funding and getting elected, you know, our representatives. And unfortunately, it's not us because that is a system we've set up in this country and this state. And frankly, that is also broken because the minute you have that kind of money in politics, everyone is tainted, and we're seeing the result of that right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I I yes, I think that's true to a point. But you know, I've had this argument that I think the money follows the power, not the power follows the money. And I think I think it's at a moment where I think change is definitely in the air. I think that there are ways to combat some of these interests or create competition so these interests can't be so monolithic. But I I also think, and I, you know, it's funny, I was emailing with a certain reporter from a large publication over the weekend, and we were talking about he he was he had mentioned in an article uh inheritance. And one of the things that I learned in DC is a lot of these interest groups and a lot of these organizations, they the people running them after a certain point of time, a certain point in time, aren't the ones who built it. It's it's very much like second generation and third generation. They don't know what it took from a compromise perspective to get to where they are. These folks, and again, and you know, who's someone else I was talking to. We were also talking about how they get promoted because of their their loyalty as opposed to their competence. And you know, how we've lost some of that sec oh, I know who I was talking to, and how we lost that second generation. It's like the people that we have running this state and in the positions of power beyond just the elected positions, but in the the subculture, the philanthropic community, the interest groups, the lobbyists, the consultants, they're all people that are, you know, the older ones are still around, but a lot of the younger ones, the next generation, the ones that are in power, they're just used to exercising power, not building power. And there's a big difference for people to understand that. And that leaves them vulnerable because the bigger you are, the more the more you're burdened by favors, the more you're burdened by people you have to keep in line to ensure your position. And sure, you when you fire your guns on that target, you can hit that target. And those of my readers know I use this terminology all the time, but that makes you vulnerable to something that's nimble. That's why the DSAs are doing such a job in some of these cities now, is quite frankly, they're the only honest ones out there. And I can't believe I'm saying these words, but it's true because you look at Mundami versus Cuomo. I mean, Cuomo is burdened by every goddamn interest group you could imagine. And you know, Mundami's clean for most for the most part, and who he owes his position to is a far more nimble group of supporters than what Cuomo did.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I mean, I liken it to what happened with Bernie, right? Where you know Bernie uh propelled forward on uh individual donations, right? Well, Howard Dean did it first.

SPEAKER_00:

Remember when Howard Dean did it?

SPEAKER_02:

I can't think about Howard Dean and his until he deconstructed, you know, he fell apart. He was crazy. It was Howard Dean who did the crazy scream, right?

SPEAKER_00:

I think so. I just remember reading Joe Joe Trippy's book.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, but I mean I just remember all the memes of just the ah, I'm sorry, I'm gonna crack myself up.

SPEAKER_00:

But what he did was for the first time, he challenged the establishment and said, look, we can be scrappy. And it started this model of the scrappy upstart, the outsider, you know, and that was like the what was that, the early 2000s or was that the mid-2000s? I think so, early. And we're seeing, you know, we're seeing the fruits of that. But I'm also saying, like, I think this is the moment where for those of us that don't live in Altadena or the Palisades or some of the other fire areas that have been affected by the governance of California, you probably don't realize how screwy it really is. And how how you are not really, you don't matter.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, I think frankly, even the people in Altadina and in the Palisades don't fully uh grasp what is at play and what's going on. I I know I hear it all the time. You know, not everyone has time or energy to listen to these podcasts or read your Substack or engage with other community leaders and stay abreast of what's going on because everyone's trying to survive.

SPEAKER_00:

Isn't that why we try to elect people to handle this stuff for us?

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly, because everyone's in survival mode, and frankly, they shouldn't have to worry about this. They shouldn't have to worry about any of this. But you have But yet here we are doing this for our community, and there's you know another group like us doing the same thing, unfunded, just like us, in the Palisades, out of their own pockets for the same reason because they don't want to be beholden, they don't want to have any questions of ethics or who who what their interests are and who they're doing what for. There, they really are just fighting for their community too. And the fact that we all have to exist, um, that that's the most damning statement of all. I've said so many times, like, um uh do your job, like, give me nothing to talk about. I would love that.

SPEAKER_00:

You mean then we don't have to do this podcast?

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Maybe I'll bake a cake again. Shit.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you know, unfortunately, that's the way the system is designed.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And unfortunately, if you want to do something, you have to fight for it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And nobody's gonna give you anything. I mean, Nancy Pelosi told that's a Rokana, and that's a famous story. Power is never given, nearly always, or rarely ever given, nearly always taken. And unfortunately, people aren't gonna just sit back and let a bunch of citizens in Altadena and the Palisades, you know, control this thing. It's right, but to me, Shauna, this this could this leads to that real question of okay, fine, we understand all this. What do I do? Like, what changes the status quo? Because if the status quo goes on, you know, the the powers that be, just like with the C DBG stuff, they're gonna put their head down, they're gonna keep going, and nobody's gonna even pay attention to it. And eventually people will lose interest and they'll get their way. Because nobody's gonna hold them into account. I mean, we're 11 months later, and anything that we've done has been kind of poo-pooed and pushed aside. Right. So I've had people ask me, so okay, what's the answer, Steve? Like, what changes the equation? What moves the needle in a direction that people otherwise wouldn't know? And uh that to me is I think that that's where we have to start to change the conversation here. Are you okay?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I am. He's watching me turn my head sideways as I'm because I'm looking at a giant map, but please continue.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh-huh. Okay, so I'll I'll continue my rant as I guess please, please continue don't let me distract you from your rant. I'm just uh taking a glance quickly at um our what something else we're gonna be talking about today in our water map, our water district maps, which are wild.

SPEAKER_00:

So I I think you know, one of the things that you and I have been noticing, Sean, is that other groups are starting to pay attention, right? The the time has come, especially with the C D BG money going away, yeah, that something's gonna have to fill this void. Nature abhors vacuums. And is this the moment with 26 on the horizon in the state and 28 on the horizon for the presidency that Altadena starts to become the showcase of what or what different elements of the party want to see happen? The party being the Democratic Party, but the Republican Party too. I mean, we have Republicans here, we have ostensibly a Republican supervisor.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So if we talk about a lot, everyone wants to say, oh, it's the Democrats, the Democrats. Well, no, actually, here we have a Republican who's our leader.

SPEAKER_00:

So So it's it's not about that. So the question becomes, and my son asked me this question when I was at dinner on Sunday night, when I saw that the NDAA thing had happened, and I was sitting there kind of dumbfounded. And he said to me, He goes, Dad, what does this mean? And I go, I think that this is the moment where Altadina can become the key to the governor's seat and the presidency. I said, and if it becomes that, and the Palisades as well, and what our rebuild looks like, do the little games that are going on really matter? You know, the games that people are playing at the local level where it's kind of out of everybody's eyes and nobody really cares because oh, that's just an Altadena thing, or it's just a Palisades thing, or it's an LA City thing, or it's an LA County thing. Stakes change when you have a$325 billion a year budget. Stakes change when it becomes a$7 trillion a year budget. And the power that comes with that, that's what the that's where the money is, and the interest groups all have to align around that. And so if somebody's smart and wants to run for governor, I know I should just do it, but I can't. I don't have the money. But this is where you do it. You showcase these policy areas, you showcase how you can rebuild in a way. Does it matter if you're doing multifamily? Does it matter if you're gonna, you know, try to make a land play when it's about preserving a community? Because guess what? I'm gonna go become governor of a state or the president of the United States.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Like what do you make on a 17 billion? The Wall Street Journal says it was gonna be 17 billion dollars to rebuild Al Sedina. What do you think you make on that? A billion, a billion seven? Does that matter when you're looking at a$300 billion budget? That's not even an infinitismal number when it you're talking about seven trillion. And now all of a sudden the game changes. And I think that that's the way we got to start thinking about this. And I've said we have to elevate, but that's what I'm talking about. And I think that that's the way we protect the interests of a town like Altadena.

SPEAKER_02:

It is.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's my way.

SPEAKER_02:

That's it. How do we get there?

SPEAKER_00:

Hello, media, write the stories.

SPEAKER_02:

I know we talk about that. It's interesting to see how many in the press, especially in some of our bigger publications.

SPEAKER_00:

They tell they go right up to the toe.

SPEAKER_02:

Wall Street Journal, Politico, all of them. Come up right up to the line, but never pull the punches. All pull the punches. Um, and I was explaining from a PR perspective to Steve that some of that is, you know, I'm sure they want to maintain access, right? As you know, anyone who's in this game knows it's like if you push too hard, you will lose access and you don't want to lose access. But what's interesting about the thing is that the thing is. But at the same time, sorry, don't you know, we've got I was gonna say, at the same time, you know, you have uh a duty as a journalist to actually cover this in an honest way.

SPEAKER_00:

So I, you know, I hear the thing about the access, but I think about our president, I think about Maggie Haberman from the New York Times, who's one of his nemeses, nemeses, but yet he always gives interviews to her.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

He goes on 60 minutes, yet he hates 60 minutes. He's sued 60 minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

He can't help himself.

SPEAKER_00:

The point is, is I don't know if that access thing is more of a misnomer to give people the opportunity to say, ah, you know, I just don't want to take the hard story. Because guess what? If you're getting people to pay attention, you're getting eyeballs, you're getting clicks, guess what? The elected still need the eyeballs and the clicks. They're gonna go to you anyway. And maybe you don't get one, but you're gonna get another, I would think, that says, Well, you know what, if you're willing to write the hard story, I want to get the credibility that comes with the hard story. Because then that bolsters my position. Because if my competitor doesn't have the balls to go and sit there and take a hard story, well, what does that say about them? I don't know. I I think I think it's a cop out. Maybe I'm wrong. But maybe because I don't mind poking the bear. So exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I think you and I don't mind poking the bear, obviously.

SPEAKER_00:

But um maybe I have a hard time understanding how that all works.

SPEAKER_02:

And here we are. So before we let ourselves go for a full hour, as we are wont to do, I'm gonna bring us back um to another subject that we're not gonna deep dive into on this episode, but that we are going to introduce. And it's um it's Altonina's water districts.

SPEAKER_00:

And if you Chinatown in the foothills.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh, yeah, it really is Chinatown in the foothills.

SPEAKER_00:

I wrote an article about this like way, way back in like April before Did you anybody ever read that?

SPEAKER_02:

Did you get it to Chinatown?

SPEAKER_00:

I called it Chinatown.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh. Okay, we'll talk about this in the next episode or next week. Not the next episode, but next week when we revisit, because I missed that that substack because even I cannot keep up and read every single thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh no, no, this goes this was like at the beginning when we were talking about the different water districts and how basically they're bankrupt. And I said, if some developer comes in and buys more than 50% of the property in the district, they own the water district.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's Chinatown.

SPEAKER_02:

It really is Chinatown. Um, so for those who are not in the past, by the way, the media didn't write about that either, even though I try to sell a lot of for anyone who uh, you know, is curious, you don't live here. So if you're to look at the map, which is what I was looking at a minute ago, um, because it always boggles my mind, especially how my water company bounces around. Um you see who controls the water where. And so, unlike another area where you would have your own water, you know, or a city, if you were a city, would control the water, um, and everyone would have the same water authority. We have a very curious situation up here in Altadena, which, you know, in many respects, we are kind of like the uh the wild west here, as I say.

SPEAKER_00:

We're a relic of the 19th century.

SPEAKER_02:

We are, we are.

SPEAKER_00:

As I as I wrote all about it.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Well, uh, Steve, would you like to take over? No, it's okay. Keep going.

SPEAKER_00:

You're you're a resident expert on the history of Altadena.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh definitely not, but. But um I educate myself as best as I can, as I don't think any of us have a choice right now. But um it's really fun, it's fascinating to see what the water agencies are in the Eaton Fire impacted, unincorporated county area that is Altadena. So one of the water companies that is actually one of the smallest is mine, Las Flores. It's kind of runs right up the middle. Um to the east, we have Rubio Canyon Land and Water Association. To the west, Lincoln Avenue Water Company, further east, but still, you know, Altadena, um Pasadena Water and Power. Yeah, has a full. So I was gonna say, based on where you are, you're your PWP. And then, you know, um, not specifically Altadena, but just on the other side of uh Rubio Canyon is um, or I'm sorry, Eaton Canyon. I said Rubio Canyon, because I'm staring staring at their uh water, but um just east of yes, exactly. You have Kinaloa Mesa District, where they were also heavily fire impacted, and you have the Kinaloa irrigation district there. So all this comes up because you know, it's one of the lingering questions that one would hope would be answered in an independent investigation, a true independent investigation of the fire response is what happened with our water? You know, why some hydrants had water, some hydrants had no water, um, certain areas ran dry, other areas didn't, some were touched, some weren't. We know Las Flores. We know from 911 calls and from reports that um Las Flores Water Company in particular had uh water sitting in their reservoirs the night of the fire and was reaching out to fire to say, hey, come tap this. We have plenty of water, come get it. There's plenty of water here. And it wasn't touched, and their calls were not heeded, and they were finally then calling for help, saying, Hey, we're gonna lose the water, we're gonna lose it because we have a structure on fire that's going to block and we're gonna lose this water. And that's exactly what happened because no one came to do anything about that either. Steve's face, guys. Right now, I think I just shared a ball a little bit that Tit Steve wasn't aware of, and he it's like I can't believe the media hasn't written about this. I know it's all it's shocking. And I think it will, yes, it is, and I think that it will come to a head.

SPEAKER_00:

And uh well, because we hear about DWP, but we don't hear about this.

SPEAKER_02:

I know. This is it's bananas, LA DWP, that is. Yeah, exactly. Which, you know, if you're you're LA City, which most of us have been at some point, um, that then you know you all have DW. The 900. Exactly. You all have DWP, but um yeah, it it's wild.

SPEAKER_00:

So what's happening now is wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, back up a second. Just help me understand this.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

We had water, water that could have been tapped by the fires folks, but then the structure burned as a result of the fire and thus made it.

SPEAKER_02:

But prior to that, they had water that just was not tapped into, kind of like the entire response was not unified and you had agencies self-so each agency so they can't just like pull move it through. Right. That's right, because the agencies are not unified.

SPEAKER_00:

They are like the utilities where you can go across utilities, but water is uh so therein lies the problem here, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Is that we see utilities being another utilities major issue in the fire response, but also a major issue that needs to be addressed for development. I mean, if you're going to do this building our homes, we don't have sensible exactly. We don't have a sensible water district for all of the new uh densification and and all the new residence that are being proposed and that are inevitably going to come if in fact people buy and rent all the homes. It's okay.

SPEAKER_00:

We're gonna charge tax increasing.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, exactly. And raise two billion dollars for it in in 2075.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I have a friend that told me if we're lucky, if we raise 60 million by 2075?

SPEAKER_02:

No, I know, I can't, but but we need it for that infrastructure.

SPEAKER_00:

They're gonna add, you know, if they're gonna double the town size because we're gonna now all of a sudden have duplexes on all the lots or more. How in the hell are they gonna do this?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, and not necessarily duplexes, because as we know, that's being shot down.

SPEAKER_00:

But not necessarily. It looks necessarily, but that's another story. But supposedly that is another story. There's pressure on the governor to remove that, and there's a deal on the table, according to Politico, this morning, that the governor is going to allow SB9 to go through in the Palisades, but a year from now, and what happens in a year from now? Guess who's not in office?

SPEAKER_02:

Who's not in office?

SPEAKER_00:

So the next person gets to deal with that shit sandwich.

SPEAKER_02:

Which is a whole other it's oh my gosh, just pushing the ball down the road is such the way. But anyhow, um, for for our conversation here before we de we die, you know, go into a deeper dive in another episode, it's just setting the stage so that people understand we have three primary water companies here. All of these are family owned and operated.

SPEAKER_00:

These are all no, they're mutually owned.

SPEAKER_02:

Well in theory. Okay, so they're mutually owned in that what that means is that everyone has a share. We all of us who own homes and own property now property in Al Tadena, we also own shares. We are shareholders, meaning we can come, we can we have shareholders' rights, we can vote, we can call meetings, which people don't, but yes, we can. Um, and there's a lot of ways that you know we actually have a voice in this. Um, but the bottom line is that outside of the fact that from an infrastructure perspective, this system clearly failed us and was a contributor to the failure of the fire response. There's also the very simple fact that they are not, they they are financially insolvent.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So all of them. And every single one of them does not want to unify, does not want to create a singular water authority because they all want to maintain their own little fiefdom, their own power, their control, and the little money that they have. So, you know, and to that point, who do you think has to pay that bill?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, if we're going to well, I guess.

SPEAKER_02:

We do.

SPEAKER_00:

Wait, if you're a private utility, if you're a private utility, you don't have to worry about it. Yeah. But if you're because the state will allow it. But in this case, we're going to publicize be public in the effect, but private in the reward.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, the California way.

SPEAKER_02:

It is the California way. So for all of us here and for everyone at home playing along, um, you know, not surprisingly, the bill is already getting passed along to Alcedina homeowners. And um one of the first meetings around this is actually, it's again, it's my water company where I am in 4602. Um, the entirety of 4602 is not uh Las Flores, but my segment is my street. And um we'll link when we when we post this podcast, we'll link to a map so you can all look and see where you land too. But um their meeting, they have an emergency meeting or a special meeting happening this Thursday, December 11th. Um, I believe it's at 6 p.m. and it's being held at Altina Library. And um, this is a special shareholder meeting to discuss the fire recovery charge because we are they are getting ready to hit all of us.

SPEAKER_00:

An assessment.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, with an assessment that it looks like at minimum will be$3,000 per parcel.

SPEAKER_00:

So what if you own an apartment or a duplex? How does that work?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know yet, but well, that's why we're just tapping starting to tap into this topic and we'll uh go deeper after these meetings and see how to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

Can the shareholders find out?

SPEAKER_02:

I but I believe the shareholders can vote it down. But what is the alternative and what argument are they gonna make in their favor? So I will be at this meeting.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, and there may be a way to fund this, and it might not have to be an assessment, it can be a charge.

SPEAKER_02:

I think this is gonna be a charge, not an assessment. Or we're gonna have to find out on Thursday. It's very unclear right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, the people with septics have the same problem, right? But the CRD was designed to get the septic into sewer, at least that's what I was told.

SPEAKER_02:

Except that's not happening either, as you know.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know because I'm not tracking it.

SPEAKER_02:

I can tell you from residents who are on sewer and are struggling to get off. Um, it is prohibitively expensive.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Prohibitive, like in the realm of forty thousand dollars per property prohibitive.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So with that thrilling uh um revelation, you know, we will there will be more. Stay tuned. There will be more. We're just gonna, yeah, the hits keep coming. We're gonna come back to this. Um which is a good time to say the, you know, and I'm gonna start hitting this again in all of our episodes, you know, it's time to revisit how we all need to be our own, continue to be our own advocates in all of this. Yep. Um what does that mean? It means writing the letters, you know, letters or emails these days, but like doing it for real. Like all of your electeds, hey.

SPEAKER_00:

I but I think it's gotta be more than the electeds. I mean, yes, unfortunately, the electeds right now don't care because there's nobody well, they care, but you need to have something more. And the only way to really get movement, as you've learned, Shauna, and as the Palisades has learned, is when the media picks up the case. Yeah, you need the media, you need the media coming in and not just a story and walking away. It's gotta be a story as part of a narrative, it's gotta be something more long term, it's gotta be part of this. Is it A, elevating to the point that we're in the gubernatorial? And then every time a governatorial candidate comes into town, it's hey bud, what are you gonna do for us? Like, are you actually gonna materially affect our lives? Are you just here to take a picture and feel good about yourself? And not like, you know, not in a in a in a negative or sorry, in a what's the word I'm looking for? Antagonistic way, but more in a way that just says, look, we are part of the bigger discussion. What are you gonna do to preserve the wealth that has been potentially at risk now here? What are you gonna do to help us rebuild our town and give us, you know, the economic development that we're gonna need? What are you gonna do in our to our town to help us get our utilities back in line and get going? And it's not about just giving us handouts, what's your plan? And how can we trust your plan? What are you gonna do to establish trust?

SPEAKER_02:

We've been asking for plans and uh any kind of accountability that would establish trust.

SPEAKER_00:

What are you gonna do to protect us from those who are not protecting us?

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And so that's the question you ask of the electeds. But more important, what are you gonna do with the media? Where's the media doing that? That's the you're the what is it, the third estate? Yeah, your job is to keep the electeds in check. And right now, yes, you're doing it to a certain extent, but you're not providing the narrative to show that this is not getting better. You're not giving that arc of the story that is saying, hey, this is a story that needs to be continued. You're giving them the news cycle, and then the news cycle dies, and then people forget about the story. And what we need, what's more important than anything, the only way we're gonna hold our elected's to task is to have that arc continue and be tied back to these stories where the stories continue that theme. Like well, back to Rebecca Ellis' point. Politico's saying the governor has a 56% approval rating, yet the county uh was it the the 80% of people who responded to the county's survey said that they don't believe that their electeds actually care about them, but they're more interested in their special interests.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And again, I I still think the governor's number is a a bit of a sugar high, but let's get back to the reality is that there is a disconnect here. And usually it's the national figure is the one that, or the the larger figure that you're not directly tied to is usually the bum. And the local is oh, I love my local. It's like your lawyer. Everyone hates lawyers, but they love their lawyer. Everyone hates politicians, but they love their politician. Here it seems to be the inverse. It's pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

It is interesting. I think everything about this has been eye-opening and interesting. Um sorry. No, don't be sorry. It's fine. You can do that. That's what we're here to do, uh, is to have these conversations. Um, should we wrap it up with a small business shout-out?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

It's time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yours yours or mine.

SPEAKER_02:

Mine. Okay. Yours can wait till the next. I know you're so excited. So excited. But that was hilarious. You're gonna have to wait. It's it's it's it's awesome. But it's gonna wait till the next episode. Um, so today's uh shout-out, a small biz shout-out, is actually for Clio's critter care. So if you are in the community, you will recognize that name and you know Cleo Watts because every time you're like, oh my gosh, I found a baby possum, I found a baby squirrel, I found an injured animal. Um anything that doesn't get handled by um uh wildlife, what is it? Wildlife care. No, no, no, no, no. Wildlife care.

SPEAKER_00:

That's in it passing in humane.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, passing in humane is seding and humane, and they are doing much better on the on uh the front of um wildlife.

SPEAKER_00:

I didn't know there was anyone else.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh, Steve. The county has something? No, these are of course not. We have no real government, Steve. Therefore, that's what I thought you were alluding to. We have individual organizations who are doing all of this. No, no, no. So Cleo's, you know, if you need help, you call Cleo. You know, if it's like it's Jonesy Reynolds Ross, if it's help with a coyote, and she's amazing. She's you know a local coyote expert. She's with uh it's wildlife care of SoCalm. Anyhow, it's drive me crazy. I can't remember um the full name. I apologize, but they're amazing. But Cleo um specifically does a lot of work with baby raccoons and baby squirrels, um, a lot of rehabbing. She's a licensed rehabber, which people don't realize. You know, not anyone can just do this. You need to be a licensed rehabber. To rehab a squirrel, yep, in the state of California, uh, which she is, and she has a facility where she has done this for years, um, just adjacent Altadena. And she has been serving our community for years tirelessly, um, often to her own financial detriment. And she's entirely donation-based. So this year with the fire, um, her building or she is the house she's in, the building she's in, is becoming unavailable. She's been given a two-month reprieve, but she is still outside of needing to, you know, to continue to be funded for all of the regular work she does, especially when it's baby season. Um, she is also now has to move and is looking for a new place. So you can follow Cleo's Critter Care online. She's on Instagram, um, she's on Facebook, she's active in our group. Um, she's fantastic. She was actually had a booth at Christmas Tree Lane. Um, she's been at a number of community events, kind of getting the word out about the work she does. And um, she is actually now also a full-fledged nonprofit. So if anyone's in a position to donate, please do. Um, she also has an Amazon wish list that you know I've over the years uh bought things from and encourage other things others to do. It's it's a very easy, easy way to make a little impact. But you know, most of all, if you know of a place where she potentially could move to that would be an affordable facility for her work, um, reach out and help out.

SPEAKER_00:

And with that, with that. That's it. That's it. How long was our episode?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. We're gonna find out in a minute. So if you have any questions, comments, concerns, you want to talk about it. Don't send them to me, send them to Sean.

SPEAKER_00:

You can send me the link. Shauna gets all the concerns.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks. I'm at beautifulaltena og dot com. I'm sorry, at gmail, beautifulaltadina og. Actually, we do have a dot com, but it's beautifulaltadina og at gmail.com. You can also, of course, find us on Instagram and um Facebook, and our Substack is Beautiful Altadina. And you can find Steve on Substack at the Alta Policy Walk.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you remember K-Rock used to have the like we care? Uh-huh. Was their email? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I I love K Rock so much. I grew up listening, I don't love it now. Well, but I love the K-Rock that that we used to have in Dr. Demento. So I'm gonna leave everyone on that thought on this episode. If you need a mental break, go um Google some old Dr. Demento K-Rock episodes and enjoy. With that, we'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_00:

It always makes me happy when it's Rock of the 90s weekends.

unknown:

All right.

SPEAKER_00:

Bye, everybody.