After the Ashes: A Beautiful Altadena Podcast
We are Beautiful Altadena, the online community group that launched in 2015 and the Substack by the same name. We started this podcast to ask: Who’s writing the rules of recovery? Who benefits? Who’s being left out? This podcast deep dives into the issues of recovery and rebuilding through the lens of policy.
Each episode, we dissect the policies and bills impacting Altadena, Los Angeles County, and the rest of the country post disaster. We break down what they say, what they really mean, who they affect, and what – and who – they leave out. Every episode closes out with a local small business shout out and most include a media roundup of what's making the headlines and what's not.
Your hosts:
Shawna Dawson Beer / @BeautifulAltadena, Eaton Fire Total Loss Survivor
Stephen Sachs / @AltaPolicyWonk, Eaton Fire Survivor, Current Altadena Resident
We are not advertiser, sponsor or grant funded and have no agenda beyond ensuring our neighbors in Altadena, the Palisades and beyond are as in the know as possible so that we can all be our own best advocates for ourselves and our towns.
After the Ashes: A Beautiful Altadena Podcast
Season 2 / Episode 1: Weeee’re Baaaack
New year, new season. We had planned to be on hiatus this week. But as the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire arrived, so did a flood of media coverage, public events, and major developments that made it clear we needed to get back into the studio. We recorded two back-to-back episodes, that both run a little long — just under an hour — so thank you, as always, for staying with us.
We open with a wide-ranging media roundup, as Altadena and the Eaton Fire were covered across nearly every major outlet imaginable. We focus on a few key pieces that included quotes from Steve and/or me, including coverage in the Los Angeles Times, Politico, and The Economist and talk through what that attention means for our community and for the larger accountability fight.
We also share our own writing and reflections on the one-year anniversary, and review several of the major events that marked the day. We discuss the county’s official anniversary event at Grocery Outlet, which brought out a familiar lineup for speeches and photo ops, followed by the deeply moving community vigil organized by Altadena Rising at Fair Oaks Burger, which offered a far more grounded and meaningful moment of remembrance.
Earlier that day, I was in the Palisades speaking on behalf of Altadena at the “They Let Us Burn” rally, alongside Westside fire survivors who, like so many in Altadena, have become organizers out of necessity, working without funding out of their own pockets. The rally featured speakers including Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt (who announced his run for mayor against Karen Bass there) and former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Interesting bedfellows to say the least.
We also talk about the growing visibility and actions of the Altadena for Accountability coalition, including the banner drop at the Rose Parade, the community-centered message at the Altadena Forever Run, and a quiet but powerful silent demonstration at the Grocery Outlet anniversary event.
And we touch on the role of state leadership during the anniversary week. Governor Gavin Newsom did travel to Southern California for the one-year mark of the fires, but did not appear in either Altadena or the Palisades, instead attending a tightly controlled, closed-door event away from the communities still living with the consequences of what happened.
We close the episode with an unplanned and emotional conversation about the ongoing toll this fire continues to take, as our community mourns yet another life lost. Even a year later, the impacts of January 7 are not behind us. They are just unfolding.
Small Business Shout-Out
This week’s small business shout-out is a little different. Instead of featuring just one spot, I direct listeners to a comprehensive guide I created covering Altadena’s restaurants and food businesses, along with several closely connected, fire-impacted businesses outside of Altadena
Welcome back, everybody. This is After the Ashes. I'm Steve, your one of your hosts here. And uh I'm here with Shauna, your other. And I guess we we were trying to figure out what the title of this episode was going to be, but I guess the only thing to say is welcome back.
SPEAKER_03:It's welcome back, or maybe it should be we're back.
SPEAKER_01:Well, maybe that's only the electeds that feel that way.
SPEAKER_03:So we were not for all of you, dear listeners. We, as you know, had planned to take almost a month off because we needed a little break, a little hiatus. Um, and then by last week, I mean, between Christmas and New Year, Steve and I were like, Holy shit, there's so much going on. We we gotta talk. And then, sorry, there's some very loud sirens outside. And it's all right. I was like, either they wash or they don't. I was gonna say that we are triggered by this, except how could we be?
SPEAKER_01:Because there were no January 8th, the day after.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my. Um oh, it's gonna be this episode's gonna be like that, folks. So we had planned to take this long break, but we realized, oh my gosh, we have so much to talk about. And then by last week, with the uh New Year's events and everything coming on around the anniversary, and so many media pieces hitting, and so many news bites coming and news stories hitting and developments. We were like, holy smokes, we gotta we gotta get in the studio. So we are kind of jamming it in today, and um, this will be kind of part one. I think that our next episode, this is episode 25. Episode 26 will be um a little bit of a part two for this before we get into a regular cadence next week.
SPEAKER_01:So um well, my my readers will know that sometimes make promises not to do something and then I end up doing it. I mean, the five readers that are out there.
SPEAKER_03:There's more than five readers.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, six. But anyway, this is not unusual for me. So welcome to the club, Jonna.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I'm in it. We're all in it.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's been crazy. Like, there's been so much happening.
SPEAKER_03:It's hard, even for Steve and I, it's hard to keep up. Steve and I are like texting every day at this point with like, did you see this? Did you see this? Did you see this? Like it's just like, oh my gosh, someone quickly take notes because there's so much happening. Even for us, it's it's been well project to keep up.
SPEAKER_01:And it's been both at the macro level where you know the media is picking up a lot of this now, and they are starting really to uh how did uh just Steve Lopez put it? Like dagger, questions like daggers hanging over the heads of public officials.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, gosh, that was a really great piece that he did.
SPEAKER_01:And what a great quote. I mean, that's a fantastic one, you know, because they always say the elected's like to walk between the raindrops. So now the daggers are gonna be coming, that'll be fun to see how they try to sidestep.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly. How are you gonna dodge it?
SPEAKER_01:But you know, the Times has really picked it up. And yes, we've had national media coming in and given, you know, like the economist piece that you were quoted, like everything that you're quoted in. I mean, you're you're you're like the stalwart quote these days.
SPEAKER_03:Um you can count on me for a good quote. My economist quote was um in response to Oh, you dropped an F-bomb. I well, I and it was funny, I had spent a couple of hours, solid hours in front of Highlight Coffee. Love you, Frank, Kim, um, with the reporter for The Economist, you know, and we covered myriad topics, and I was, you know, was always giving her a laundry list of additional contacts that she needed to reach out to and speak with various voices in the community. And um, I had made this one statement and I even laughed and joked, said, Don't feel compelled to quote me like that. I don't need to have a potty mouth all the time. And um, and then I read the Economist story, and I'm quoted um in response to Gavin, some of Gavin Newsom's level legislation and stories and quotes coming out of the governor's office. I'm quoted saying, We need a fucking plan. Hope is not a strategy. Where's the fucking plan?
SPEAKER_01:And and I mean, you're once again right on. I mean what's crazy is that there's been so much happening. I'm trying to find that quote from the LA Times yesterday that you pulled um that came from Rebecca Ellis's.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah. Rebecca. So, I mean, I for those who are not, it's okay. For those who we should have been a little more prepared, we're a little by the seat of the chance today.
SPEAKER_01:Last year the focus was on survival, finding temporary places to live, clearing lots, deciding whether to stay or go, while holding accountable or government officials accountable. This year will be about building up again as well as the political reckoning.
SPEAKER_03:It is. And this year is the political reckoning.
SPEAKER_01:If this is truly where our media is about to go, look out because this is not 2022. As I wrote in that piece over the holidays, where I said I made the argument that I think that a lot of the root causes of where we are today was the 2022 election and the aftermath of the LA City Council tape scandal, if you will. Um it sounds like the media is not gonna let that go. So, but let's go back, let's back up a little bit. You know, you, Shauna, have been extraordinarily busy this year. You were at our Fair Rose Parade.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, um among others. Among many others. I mean, I was there uh as witness, I suppose you would say. But yeah, I mean, we can jump into some of that um before we really fully go into our our media roundup and recap um that Steve was touching on. You know, that with the new year, the um the Al Tadena for Accountability Coalition, you know, stepped up some of its actions, which, you know, uh before getting into that, I'll I'll set this up by saying that, you know, I I saw Catherine Barger at Grocery Outlet at our commemorative event last night.
SPEAKER_01:But that's topic three.
SPEAKER_03:It is topic three.
SPEAKER_01:But I'm gonna have to bounce around. I did.
SPEAKER_03:I was like, Steve, follow the order. But since Steve just jumped into the media roundup, which was talking about.
SPEAKER_00:I did not go to the media roundup. I just setting up the accountability through utilizing the beginning of the media roundup. We haven't started on the media roundup.
SPEAKER_03:I too am just setting this up, and then we'll then we'll bring it back around. So um accused of being I I saw Barger, and um, you know, it's like I I'm sure everyone thinks that like we just like have it out for these people. We don't. Like I, you know, understand how difficult her job is. As I've said in the past, I don't think it should exist. I think that it's an impossible task that she has been charged with. Um, and it in many respects I have tremendous respect for her, and in many respects, I also understand that she's very simply a politician being a politician. It's kind of like expecting the, you know, the zebra not to have stripes or the, you know, lion not to kill.
SPEAKER_01:But I think it's more like the scorpion and the frog story.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that is a really that is a good one. That's a good analogy for it. So um, with that, you know, she I was wearing, you know, one of our red shirts, the Altadina for Accountability Coalition shirt, which everyone in the coalition who was there last night was wearing, and a number of volunteers in the who uh joined us in the community, people from my beautiful Altadina community, people from the community at large, people, friends and family, you know, in the community, Altadina community who were there and who, you know, really um stand behind this this call for an independent investigation into what happened with the fire response here. And um, you know, her statement to me, she saw the shirt and she just she immediately you know approached me and said, you know, I I agree with you. I agree with you. We need an investigation. I support that. And um, you know, to to to to hear that, it's like, okay, that's great, but that rings hollow if you're not actually going to compel it and make it happen. Because, you know, what I said to her when she kind of said it was like, how, you know, what's going on and how are you? And I was like, you know, I shouldn't have to do this. Like, I shouldn't, I'll sum it up really quickly. At the one year, yeah. I shouldn't have to do any of this. But at the one year mark, no one, not me, not the rest of this coalition at large, not all of these other community leaders, not all of our neighbors who were out there wearing shirts or wearing red, even Shay Shay Yancey, who delivered the most beautiful poem last night, um, at that grocery outlet official commemorative event. I saw her after, and she gave me a big hug and tugged on her scarf and said, I'm wearing a red scarf for you. Like this is in solidarity with everyone asking for this investigation. So, you know, that that again, that's it. How are we at the one-year mark asking for the most basic thing still, to the point that we now have to escalate to this point? Like, this is not a radical ask. This isn't some wild expectation. We're not, this isn't like, oh my gosh, we're these radical protesters. We're not even protesters. We're just community members saying, hey, we desperate, we're begging for this. We desperately need this. So I thought it was very interesting to see Barger um yesterday at another press conference and then at last night's official event, you know, up there saying, Hey, let me address the elephant in the room. You know, I support this investigation. But she stopped short of saying Rob Bonta.
SPEAKER_01:And, you know, she she's which investigation?
SPEAKER_03:An independent investigation with subpoena power into the into all the failures. And as you and I know.
SPEAKER_01:But what does that mean?
SPEAKER_03:Correct. No one really wants that because it's going to uncover things that, you know, aren't going to be flattering for anybody.
SPEAKER_01:Well, look, I I think, you know, I don't want to jump ahead to the We're I think we've uh let's give up.
SPEAKER_03:And and listeners, thanks for bearing with us. The three topics today are our media roundup, everything that's happened at the new year, um, the anniversary, the anniversary events, and kind of where we go from here. I'm just gonna set up the next episode as we talk about policy and you know what's working, what's not, and the political reckoning that is looming. So now I I've got everybody braced for what is coming so they can make sense of our nonlinear format today.
SPEAKER_01:The ADHD format. No, it's okay. What I was gonna say was if you look at, you know, at the post that I did today, a friend of ours in Washington always loves to say, look at the scoreboard. Don't don't get, you know, don't lose the forest for the trees. Look at the scoreboard. And when it comes to the words that are said, the words that are coming from supervisors or governors or other electeds, the the proof is in the pudding. And that's the scoreboard. And the scoreboard that we're seeing based upon the report after report after report after report of failure after failure after failure after failure, and a lack of accountability and a lack of ability to fix those problems, going all the way back to 2018, and that the fire problems that we're having today, going back to pointing fingers at different people or different groups, and uh inevitably back to Trump. You know, Trump is literally we're the medieval equivalent of the devil. If there's anything that's wrong, it's Trump. Instead of saying, wait a minute, maybe we're not perfect. I'm not defending Trump, but I'm also saying you can't just reflexively say, ah, it's Trump, I don't have anything to do with this. Like that's gotta stop too. And that's been the gate, the go-to play. Like that was the governor's line today in the state of the state. You know, he sounded very good, standing up there pointing his finger with that snarl look on his face, and it gotta stop it, and we need our disaster money, essentially. And you know, I guess I go back to the scoreboard, and you know, the words you're hearing from the electeds is one thing. But like you're saying, like Al Cena for Accountability is saying, we want answers. We don't want words anymore.
SPEAKER_03:And instead of just lip service, we also want things that are actionable. You know, I mean, I've I raised this, um, you know, we we really are gonna jump around a bit. Um, so yesterday, one of the things I was doing for the one-year anniversary is I was invited to to join um the Palisades at their rally. And I and it was kind of, you know, Sam Jeremy uh Padawer and um Miriam, I believe her last name is Angle. And Miriam, if I just butchered your name, I apologize. It's my brain is a little jumbled in the last few days.
SPEAKER_01:But um she's gonna blame perimenopause the way that our politicians blame Trump.
SPEAKER_03:I'm also I've also been a little tired. But uh it's it's been a long, this has been a long, heavy week for all of us.
SPEAKER_01:Indeed. I'm just I'm just messing with it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he is, but um, and his wife will handle him later, so I'm not worried. Um so anyhow, you know, I was invited to come speak uh at this at their They Let Us Burn rally. Um and you know, uh one of the things that I I had shared in my speech, and I'm gonna share my speech um on my Substack um this week, maybe maybe today actually, because I think that the points made um that I made were really important for everyone to hear, but also because of the fact that those points were reiterated by people in that community, which is why I was there in the first place, you know, as a representative of Altadena, kind of standing in solidarity with our neighbors to the West, because while their community is different, their demographics are different, and some of their experience is different, a lot of their challenges, frustrations, and demands are very similar to ours. Um, because the the bottom line is, you know, the issues that allowed their town to be destroyed by fire are the same that allowed our town to be destroyed by fire. And so we are all seeking the same answers. Um, and so, you know, uh we in one of the things I just kept hammering, and they were too, so we're the organizers that they let us burn, um, was the fact that this is not a partisan issue, you know. This like it's just not like in as much as some armchair commentators would like it to be that, as much as some of our electeds would like it to be that, you know, as much as it's a an effective sound bite for a governor who wants to be president, um, you know, uh well to cover up the failures that he made.
SPEAKER_01:And we'll get into that on the next one. Yeah, because there's a whole backstory there.
SPEAKER_03:That's right. But you know, uh ultimately, um you know, that this is just again, as we keep discussing, it's a failure of leadership and a fail and and the results of bad policy, old infrastructure, poor management of resources and and funds.
SPEAKER_01:Like, you know, there's so many failure, we as we've been saying for months. This was humans. This was it was compound as how did I put it? The the the the decisions that were made are the failures that have happened are the Edison. Yes. Trump is merely the winds. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So I'm gonna, I'm gonna get, it's true. I'm gonna get back to, you know, to go back on this. Um you know, one of the points I made in in my speech, and that I was really fascinated to hear two other speakers on that stage in the Palisades make was the fact that after the 2018 fire, the Woolsey fire in Malibu, which was, you know, their very close neighbor, that following that, you know, we they had that they had a number of investigations, reports, county board of supervisor motions passed, all of these things to implement all of these changes that were highlighted in these reports and investigations and that you know, things to ensure this didn't happen again. None of those things were implemented because had they been other parties there, we would be there, right? So again, this comes down to it being just lip service, and this is why so many continue to ask for this truly independent investigation with subpoena power so that all the data included is actually complete because it is not with the reports and investigations that we have seen so far. You know, we have the UL report, we have the um report. That is the um one done by um oh my gosh, it's uh I can't remember their other, is it FSRI, their their other acronym? So that that's the quote unquote independent that's been happening following the McChrystal report. Oh okay. Yeah. So, you know, it that is gonna be another layer, but it's just another layer. It's not still a full accounting, and it is still not actionable. It still does not carry subpoena power, and it doesn't come doesn't uh carry the ability for any of the things of the findings to actually be made actionable. And this is what you know the difference is. And and I say this because there are some people in the community who unfortunately have bad information and are really, you know, bent on sharing talking points that you know that we're wrong and we don't know we're talking about when in fact they don't know what they're talking about.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:So well you know, um, so I think it's important that we just keep talking about what is real. You know, there's only one body in our state that has the power to do that, and it's our attorney general, including digging into whether or not there are civil rights vi you know issues and violations involved here. You know, we're not going to have answers to those questions without a true independent investigation.
SPEAKER_01:That's not gonna go well with the governor who is standing up there talking about this is an America for all and not just for single groups, like he was saying today in his state of the speech.
SPEAKER_03:Right, which is you know, which is not the case, especially when he was too fearful to show up at any of these events. Well, that's the next one. I know, and we're gonna get into that in the next episode. But uh, you know, that really struck me yesterday as I was standing there, you know, as they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But I mean, you know, when you leave a vacuum, when the democratic leadership feels so attacked, rightfully so, because they blew it, so attacked by their own party.
SPEAKER_01:Not only blew it, they keep blowing it.
SPEAKER_03:They just continue to blow it, right? This just keeps happening. That you have people, even like me, you know, I'm I'm as as left as they come. Yep. Even though I was accused of being a Trumper on my Substack because I was critical, you know, because God forbid any of us speak out against our own. Because if you've heard me say on this show before, you know, the when with the issues in in our re in our reality in this state, like we are blue through and through. So when things go wrong, the call's coming from inside the house, folks. And we have to talk about that because we have to do better. But anyhow, I want I really want to come back to this point, which was that, you know, they multiple people, including myself, raised the fact that the Woolsey Fire had these investigations and nothing was ever done because they have no teeth. And that is the same thing that is happening to us right now. There was one survivor who got up there in the Palisades and spoke about how he and his family and his young children lost their dream home in Malibu to the that that was like a miracle that they got in this place to the Woolsey Fire. Okay. And that seven years later, he repeatedly gave his street address because he wanted people to look up his address in their, you know, permit system. I don't know if they also use Epic, but he was like, Go look up the permit history of my address in Malibu and see how for seven years I have done everything right, checked every box, and still have not rebuilt that house. So they have been in limbo for seven years living in the Palisades where they just lost their house again.
SPEAKER_01:So I have a friend and I I'm hoping we can get him on the show pretty soon. But he was saying to me the other day the Democrat the problem with the Democratic Party right now, and this goes back to the abundance agenda, is it's the party of no. It's a party of always, there's always a reason why they can't do something. And I could tell you that this is indicative not only here in California, but also in Washington. And, you know, sometimes you got to say yes, and not just to your favorite constituents. Yeah. Sometimes you just have to govern for the sake of governing. And unfortunately, we're fighting that fight. But that's another issue. Again, I'll go back to that quote from the Times this morning. This year will be about building up again, as well as political reckoning.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And I think that that's that's a theme that we need to keep weaving into all of this is that whether it's 2018, whether it's 2022, whatever it is, we've had this pattern. This is not a one-off thing. This is something that's been built. This is the train wreck has been going very slow, and or the bankruptcy has gone very slow, and now it's going very fast.
SPEAKER_02:Yep.
SPEAKER_01:And this is it, the answers you're getting, the responses we're seeing, and the lack of any substantive change is demonstrative of broader problems. We just don't have the leaders that understand this stuff, and we'll get into that later.
SPEAKER_03:But anyway, show or if the leaders do understand, they because of the city. So cynical yeah, because of the current construct, the current power structure, they cannot. Or will not speak to or do anything about it. It's like, you know, again, Barger last night at this commemorative event, not being comfortable and stopping just short of saying what needs to be said. Because, you know, she's a very, very smart political animal, which is the part, you know, that I do have a lot of respect for. Yeah. And she knows how to read it. That's right. She knows how to read the room. She knows when to flip the switch. You know, we saw this after the Altadina for Accountability uh press conference in September on the same day that the Board of Supervisors had the McChrystal team in to release release the uh McChrystal report.
SPEAKER_01:They couldn't have been so fucking clueless as they were on that day.
SPEAKER_03:Except they were. And they very quickly um I guess somebody forgot to push a button. Oops. Oops, I know. But you know, she, you know, she and Horvath both flipped um in a matter of hours their narrative from full support of this report and how great it was to uh oh, it's incomplete. Why is it missing all these things? We owe our constituents better.
SPEAKER_01:Well, because from their constituents, at least they responded.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, exactly. And really flipped that. And again, it was the same thing now as we heard, you know, including, you know, your boy John, comedian. It's my boy, my boy Blue. We're old again. We are so it's so fucked up that I have to say we're old because if you know that movie reference, apparently you're old because also I just re-watched that and I was like, you know what? My kids love it. Oh, I'm glad your kids love it. You shouldn't have said it out loud. But I'm like, oh my gosh, like this didn't age well. There's so much about this that is actually wild.
SPEAKER_01:I'm like, okay, nope, nope, nope.
SPEAKER_03:I was like, oh, I loved it. Now I'm like, ooh, maybe not a great look. Um still pretty funny. It is still pretty fucking funny. But uh, and also, did I ever share this story that when I was in New York for work? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Until they knew that you that was the litmus. Like, if I knew who Will Farrell was, I was clearly old enough because nobody who's young knows who Will Farrell was. And I was like, oh my gosh. Um, but we digress. Anyhow, you know, it does get back to just this point that, you know, there needs there there has to be answers. This is not going to go away. This isn't going to get quieter. It isn't gonna slow down. I'm gonna bring it back to the top of the episode. We're talking about, you know, our the holidays, which were, you know, we talked about this before in our last episodes heading into the holidays is a really fraught time, you know, for many, really difficult time for many. Um, the mental health heavy hearts, yeah. Yeah, the mental health toll is real. I mean, I have to be reminded from time to time that, you know, I too have a PTSD and um, what do they call it? Um I can't remember what they call the disorder, but it's like um oh my gosh. What's it? Do you have a disorder? I was gonna say, come on. You're no, but it's it's a very it's very, it's very haha. It's very specific. You probably do too. It's adjustment disorder, I believe they call it, but it's very specific to trauma victims and um, you know, having to adjust to a new reality. And we're talking about how for all of us, and this does come, this comes back to all these issues we continue discussing. There's no way to begin to heal from everything that we have been through, from all of this trauma, until you can stop the trauma from happening and then be post-trauma to actually have time to process it and heal. But we are all still actively living this every day. Because there's no plan, there's no direction, there's no closure. Correct. And we're all still fighting insurance, mortgage lenders, the permitting, the building, the rebuilding, the do I, the lawsuits, the do I even have money to rebuild, the neighbors, you know, who are facing loss of ALE, you know, with the new year, who are going to be the next round of people's whose lives are set into another set off into another layer of turmoil. It is one thing after another. People are continue to be re-traumatized every day. And you can't even begin to heal until you get through that. So, you know, it's been a really hard time. And um, a lot of people are just kind of trudging through it and managing in their own ways, you know, day to day, either near or far. And I say that because so many of us have been displaced. You know, we have so many in our beautiful Altadina community group who, you know, talk about the fact that they've made the very difficult decision to leave and um that you know they're not coming back. I even saw like a pair that I knew at the Good Neighbor bar who are like, we came into town for this, but you know, we had to make the hard choice to sell and we can't return. Um, you know, there there is a lot of that. So everyone is just getting by however they can. And I think we all we have a lot of space and for all of that. Um, and everyone handling this however they need to to get through it. But you know, we we went into this holiday season, we went into the new year. Um, there were a lot of big feelings around, you know, these floats that were right. There was talk about the Sierra Madre float, which we spoke about a little bit.
SPEAKER_01:Did you have anything to do with you were were you involved with that in any way, shape, or form?
SPEAKER_03:Well, not directly.
SPEAKER_01:No, I know, but it's amazing how they like directed it at you.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, the hate?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, some of it, but not all of it, but some of it. Yeah, it's fascinating. Oh, that you mean with the Sierra Madre float. Yeah. Right. So I thought it was kind of wild that there's like a lot of people in the community who are like, you know, like I'm like they want to tar and feather me.
SPEAKER_01:Correct. You know, you're shooting the messenger.
SPEAKER_03:So that you're shooting the messenger, you know, the people who raised the issue around that Sierra Madre float in particular were people who worked on the float who were also fire survivors. And, you know, they had shared their story in our group and asked me specifically to help amplify that and if I would consider doing some media that they couldn't do. And I did that, and it was very interesting to see how quickly it was like me, Shauna, has a problem with the float, and Shauna is making us think about it. And it's like, good grief, you know.
SPEAKER_01:As I've said to anybody, everybody knows each other.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's fine, but you know, it's it's but that's what leadership is.
SPEAKER_01:Correct. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to be out on the front.
SPEAKER_03:That's right, and take some of the take some of the slings and arrows. And take some of the hits for for the people who can't. And you know, I and I can and I will, and I'll continue to do that. I mean, like, show up, like be there up, exactly. Take shit to actually lead at because leading has consequences and speaking the truth has consequences.
SPEAKER_01:Honest conversation, yep. Candid conversation. That's right. It's really tough. Sounds like a spokesperson for the governor's office, but let's go.
SPEAKER_03:So so as we, you know, kind of get into all of the like a little bit more around that. So the coalition has kind of amplified its activities because these calls remain to be ignored, you know, unheard, right? We still don't have the investigation. No. So, you know, that activity has been stepped up. I'm sure no one missed that at the Rose Parade, the um a couple of incredibly brave women on that float, on the on the float that was the CCF float for um fire survivors that was carrying fire survivors deployed that banner. And that was such a uh brave, I that's the other, the best word I can use to describe it. Such a brave act. Um, that you know, honestly, it was it's a plea. It's a plea for help, it's a cry for help. That it was very interesting when people were saying this isn't the time or place. And I was like, uh, clearly, well, number one, then what is, and number two, then you clearly don't have a great understanding of the Rose Parade. Because if you have ever really followed the if you've been following the Rose Parade for decades, as I have, and anyone who grew up in this area has, then you know that there has always been a protest component, first of all, subtle, sub subtly in the floats, and less subtly at the end of the parade procession, where people with banners and messages and protest signs would always follow the procession.
SPEAKER_01:And then before, you know, renounce Satan and you know, give your all sorts of wild stuff, right?
SPEAKER_03:Like that has always had a place at the Rose Parade. And um, you know, part of that is is what spawned the doodot parade, you know, which is now very irreverent and kind of tongue-in-cheek, ha ha, but there's also a lot of of this type of messaging too. So I thought again, it was very interesting to see people, oh, it's so you're like shame on you, and it's it's this isn't the time. Like this is absolutely the time. And the fact that you don't think it that it is speaks very loudly to your ignorance on more topics than one. So I could not have been more proud to be associated with the group that was doing that. Well, and it wasn't disruptive. That's the other thing.
SPEAKER_01:It wasn't like they were making a scene like Palestine protesters would come in and disrupt the parade.
SPEAKER_03:They just drove it was just the side very quiet and respectful and a necessary message that I was so glad to see was amplified in so many places, in so many media outlets. These those interviews are still happening, you know, for the the people in the coalition who undertook that. And um, you know, it's important work that bottom line, I couldn't be more proud to be supportive of, aligned with, and you know, working with. Like that, it's such an incredible group of people doing that work. Well, you know and we shouldn't have to be doing that work, is the point.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's the point. But you know, if if Attorney General Bonta does decide to run for governor, which the rumors are flying around that he's gonna make it announced.
SPEAKER_03:Good luck, buddy.
SPEAKER_01:Um, I think this is something he's gonna it's gonna be interesting when he makes it. Well, he's not gonna do he when he comes to Altadena, he won't be anywhere near of the people who are asking this of him.
SPEAKER_03:Did you see his social media post yesterday?
SPEAKER_01:No, I don't you know I'm not on social media.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, Steve's not on social media, and I wish I weren't, but I am. And um a post was shared with me from A. G Rob Bonta's official account, and on the on the you know, at the event of the anniversary of our fires, what he shared was a couple of images and uh and a blurb thanking the first responders for the incredible job that they did saving our community, helping our communities and saving people in our communities. And I was like, holy shit, dude. How like is this for real? Like, is it possible that the you are this toned toned up, disconnected from the reality on the ground? Is that possible? Or do you just not give a shit and you're just gonna say what you're gonna say because these unions fund you and elect you and get you in office, you know, which we've talked about a lot of the mutually assured destruction in our entire system and why no one can get answers or accountability for anything and why this is just an ongoing self-fulfilling prophecy, because this shit is just gonna keep happening so long as the hand, you know, that feeds you is the one that beats you.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, like that's the machine, and that's a subject for a different thing. It is for another episode. It is. We will pick that up when we talk about the Milk and Report.
SPEAKER_03:We will in the next episode. So while we're we're on this, um, the other thing that the Altina for Accountability Coalition did, and I was part of this, was um we hosted an impromptu aid station. We actually were supposed to have a that didn't happen. I know you saw me because I saw you running. And um, you know, it was so great to be there on the course. We were very, again, very respectful, had our shirts, our signs.
SPEAKER_01:You did it right.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. We also had coffee and muffins and bananas and oranges for everybody walking and running.
SPEAKER_01:And yeah, but the first half mile, you're not right.
SPEAKER_03:You I know you're not, you and I both know it, but we were not where we had planned to be. But where we were was um on a neighbor's private lot where we were not disruptive, where we were, you know, could not be removed.
SPEAKER_02:You do the classy, correct?
SPEAKER_03:We do that, we try to keep it classy, and um we're very we're very there's another old movie. You it's a wheel feral kind of day. So we were very respectful in all that. But anyhow, I wanted to share that um because it was so interesting to me how positive the response was to our message. So positive. We got so many people fist pumping in the air, high-fiving, all of this. Like we were just out there, you know, prep, you know, being positive, like go Altadina, Al Tina Strong, Altina Forever. We love you, Altadina, because we do, and that that's real. And um, but it was so great to see people taking flyers, taking stickers. I think that the team had printed 500 or so, and we went out, we ran out of virtually all of them. Like we had to save a few. The end it was pouring rain. I I was we were soaked. I was out there with you getting soaked. Yeah. Um, but it was just so I got this cold from it. So great that I hopefully will not leave with today.
SPEAKER_01:That you're gonna be fine.
SPEAKER_03:Anyhow, it's just so great to see our people, see our community, see so many people standing together. Um, same again at last night's grocery outlet event. And I'll close um that topic by saying that one of the people in our community who I love, she was part of a gluten-free cookie exchange with us in Altadina for years. Um, she has been, you know, a proud supporter of this ask for accountability, which you know, many most in our community are. But she wanted to wear the shirt yesterday, and she sent me a message this morning who's like, Shauna, here's proof I was there yesterday, and it is a photo on Barker's official account of her in front of the Altadina mural in the red Altadina for accountability shirt. It that that kind of said it all.
SPEAKER_01:So with that, I think um so we've we've we've taken everybody through the drill of how fast we can go.
SPEAKER_03:Let's um the oh, the other thing is so with all those events, the one we didn't talk about, there's also the uh concert for Altadina last night. Yep that was Dawes, Mandy Moore's husband band doing you know that organizing that. Yeah, and um John C. Riley was on there, you know. John for those who don't know, John C. Rile Riley, actor it's the step brother. Altadena Resident, another one. Um Altina Resident. I don't think his home did his home burn down. I think he may have a standing damage home, but I can't recall.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he's big with Waldorf.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, exactly. Well, I think the running joke last night was that it was like half the Waldorf parents were performing last night. Probably. Uh but that sounds about right. That it was really, it was really quite, and some of my friends were performing last night, but um, that it was just it was a really beautiful concert. It was really well done. But John C. Riley um got on stage and had some very choice words for SCE, but um, some of which I shared in the beautiful Altadina Instagram stories. I highly suggest finding it, and some uh less than flattering commentary about the town council, and I will leave it at that. You can go find it, but it's very amusing. It was very John C. Riley, just keeping it real. Was not mad at it.
SPEAKER_01:Indeed.
SPEAKER_03:So um that we were going to start with our we usually start with our media roundup. We did a little bit of it.
SPEAKER_01:Like good media people, we buried the leader.
SPEAKER_03:We did, and we kept you, we sucked you in. So now let's talk about the the you know one-year anniversary uh slew of media stories. I mean, the big ones were LA Times, who had you know their big piece that I was surprised to be quoted in, but they quoted my You were the only quote, weren't you? Yeah, I'm the only quote in that one.
SPEAKER_01:Um I can't remember my quote, but it was it was it was pulled from your It was from my Substack.
SPEAKER_03:I I also Your Substack was a nice Substack.
SPEAKER_01:It was very it was a very good encapsulation of the past year.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks, Steve.
SPEAKER_01:Like I, you know Well, game recognizes game. I struggled with writing you probably have way more Substack subscribers than I do.
SPEAKER_03:I well, I am losing them too. I had an angry note, in fact, with one um unsubscription that I came for beautiful Altadina, but not this negativity. And I was like, wow, you know, there's a quote in that Substack that was for you. And it's you know, the gist of the quote is that, you know, if you if you find um if you have problems with what I'm saying or the tone of what I'm saying and you perceive that as being negative or hostile or anything else, that says a lot more about your receptivity to hearing honest truth and how we all feel about hearing honest, you know, uh discourse than it does about my tone.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but that's very much that's indicative of our society today.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I know it is. I was so I was gonna say there was it's I I wondered if it was the one guy I saw at the um the Altadena Forever run because there was literally one person and it wasn't like Sheriff, it wasn't Fire, all of whom are really supportive in a lot of ways privately. And I was so happy to see a lot of the deputies I knew and our former um LESD Altadena captain, uh Jabari Williams. Actually, I've seen Jabari a couple times now in the last few days, and and that's been really nice. I really like I've always really liked Jabari. Um, but anyhow, and I actually saw some of our deputies last night um, you know, off duty enjoying a drink at the Good Neighbor bar. Had a good chat with a few of them. So, anyhow, you know, these are not all bad guys, and I don't think anyone feels that way, even remotely.
SPEAKER_01:About the the day-to-day.
SPEAKER_03:I know, but I feel like so many people attach to that and create this false narrative that we're anti-this and anti-that. And it's like, no, guys, we just want real.
SPEAKER_01:They're following orders, correct.
SPEAKER_03:And I must had this conversation with some of our guys last night where it's like, you know, they were as screwed as we were. Yeah. You know, like the leadership didn't do them any favors either.
SPEAKER_01:No, they were the ones having to go. I remember we'll go into that, but I remember driving over West Lake on that morning, and I remember going through that stuff, and it was that's that was scary.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it was, it was just it was bad in in every way. But um, anyhow, to go back, you know, I I on my Substack, you know, I I did have some some good quotes in there about all of this, um, one of which landed in that LA Times piece. Um, and you know, this is I was joking, it's like it's it took me six months to write that. I hadn't, I've been so consumed with um the social media and coalition and running our day-to-day groups and you know, all of that, and um other things that we've been doing, you know, representing out the community that it's been hard for me to sit down and have time to really write Substack. And um, but I did that and found time for that. And it was good to get it out on paper and it informed, you know, a number of media stories and quotes. And I was glad because it was just again, was some of it justifiably critical? Yeah, because it needs to be. But it's not about being negative, it's not about just being on the attack. It's also like, hey, let's let's put this investigation issue to bed so that we can move forward and actually get on with the real tasks at hand, which are around policy that we'll get into in the next episode, but also, you know, um uh ways solutions again, which we're gonna talk about in the next episode too. That we have the technology, guys. We have the ways to do this.
SPEAKER_02:We've had it.
SPEAKER_03:We have had it, so let's do it. Why aren't we doing it so that we can, you know, go forward? So there was a lot of hope in there as well, because I think there are still many reasons for all of us to be hopeful and to, in the ways that we can remain optimistic while also, you know, not letting anyone off the hook.
SPEAKER_01:So I guess that's an interesting segue because one of the media things we didn't have on this list here, but yesterday you and I were on KCRW.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:We were on press play.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, which which is their political show.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And with Madeline.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, which was an honor. It was an honor.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I was, I was, um, I was wow, when we got that call from the producer to do that, um, and I have to shout out a big thanks to my friend, you know who you are at KCRW, who months ago, because we know each other from our the food world, was um my had a long time in hospitality PR, um, that um yeah, that she when this all kind of was breaking last year, she was like, I need to connect you with some producers over here, you know, who are not obviously food because this is not a food conversation.
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_03:Um, but you know, and that was how that connection happened. And we had been on the show. I was on the show previously.
SPEAKER_01:Um I was not, I believe.
SPEAKER_03:But I was to, you know, and it was one of those, it was when the um it was in September when that press conference hit. But um it was really an honor to be asked to come back and especially to be given so much airtime. Um, we were a quarter of an hour long fire anniversary um episode, and um got to make a lot of great points. Uh, you know, if anybody's inclined, you can find that episode on the KCRW page. You know, you can stream it. I think that our segment starts about 25 minutes in.
SPEAKER_01:And Shana did great on the Teddy Kennedy question.
SPEAKER_03:We both did. We were asked. Point blank if we had any plans to run for office. And, you know, I mean, I think Steve's answer was the right answer, which was, you know, asked my wife first, which they cut out.
SPEAKER_01:So if my wife's listening, I did defer to you. They just didn't publish it.
SPEAKER_03:It's true. And then I had all, you know, he, but he was quick to say if the call came, he would answer it. And, you know, it doesn't have to be running for an office. It could be an appointed position. You know, Steve is also here to be of service and is being of service and will continue to be of service.
SPEAKER_01:Same with you.
SPEAKER_03:And for myself, I'd said the same thing, you know, is this something that I have plans to do right now? No. Is it something I would ever have imagined for myself or want for myself? No, because I know politics just as well as I know show business having grown up in this town. And I have zero desire to take play part in either because I know them so well.
SPEAKER_01:But Hollywood for ugly people, that's DC.
SPEAKER_03:But I do think that that's not nice.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's what they say it is. That's what they say. I mean, it's not being said. No, I'm saying that DC, the joke is that it's Holly, it's all about it.
SPEAKER_03:I'm giving you shit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But anyhow, you know what that what I said there and I will say here is that like I think that for there to be any kind of meaningful change, we are all going to have to be the change. And I really look forward to seeing ballots in 2028 filled with fire survivors running for office. Because I think at this point, it's going to take all of us who are not career politicians, who are not in the pockets of those we are supposed to be protected from, you know, by these electeds to kind of to get into the game. Even if, you know, you know, I referenced democratic socialists. Yep. I, you know, referenced, you know, Zoran, Mamdani, right, in his speech. And and Steve Steve is going to make a little bit of a face. He can't help himself. But, you know, part of Mamdani's speech, and I shared this, I think, on threads, but um from my personal account, you know, spoke to the fact that he had been told that now that he was being sworn in, now's the time to temper expectations and you know, to to reel it in a little bit and you know, renegotiate your promises so that you know you can only promise things that you can actually accomplish. And that he his response was, I'm not going to do that because even if I cannot be effective, even I'm going to try and I'm not going to stop trying. And I think that that is frankly where we all are as well. Like we we can't stop trying. We have to at least try. We can't just accept our fate that this is it, that this system is such that it is that we are simply stuck. No, I will I refuse to accept that.
SPEAKER_01:I don't agree with that, but I also think that I I'm totally a fighter in that respect. I think you know that. But I also believe that there is, it's not about absolute power and dominance. You have to be also you can't be an advocate. You also have to understand how to govern. And governing is very different than advocating. And that's sort of what Madeline asked us yesterday or the other day. She said, you know, is it easy for you guys to sit there and you know armchair quarterback or you know, Monday morning quarterbacking everything? And I think we both said is look, yes, but we're not immune to going and trying to make the change, too. Yep. But it making change requires compromise. That it doesn't matter. Sometimes it requires you having dealing with people that you otherwise probably would find distasteful.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. I mean, I I kind of made this joke privately with Steve, you know, about being in the Palisades, which again, you know, is is definitely a little bit more of a Republican enclave of our of our city. Certainly.
SPEAKER_01:You were there with Spencer Pratt announced his mayoral.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, well, yeah, and I don't think that anyone necessarily knew he was going to do that.
SPEAKER_01:But you know, I'm sure he had enough people out there that knew. But um That guy is so scripted.
SPEAKER_03:Um, so yes, I was for uh for a couple hours yesterday morning, I was sandwiched between um Heidi Montag. Is that even how you say her name? I don't watch the watch this stuff. I don't know. Um Spencer Pratt, who I didn't I didn't even realize until yesterday they are a cop they're married, and um our former LESD head sheriff, Alex Vienueva.
SPEAKER_01:Catherine Barker's favorite.
SPEAKER_03:And also Steve Hilton.
SPEAKER_01:Steve Hilton, who I didn't know who he was either, but apparently he is the leading front runner for the Republican gubernatorial candidate.
SPEAKER_03:There you go.
SPEAKER_01:And um a Fox News person and work with David Cameron. So this I know this because my parents watched it.
SPEAKER_03:I know, I know. And so I did not know this because I don't, and it's not my universe. But um yeah, you know, again, like the enemy of my enemy is my friend sometimes. And I was really glad that everyone was making the point that this is not partisan, it's not partisanal except for Spencer Pratt. But everybody else was very much. No, he's partisan to himself. Exactly. That this was not a partisan issue. It was about, you know, getting true accountability for all of our communities and for for all of these failures. But um, I was just thinking to myself, I'm living in the strangest fucking timeline.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:You're in hostile territory over there. That too. But but you know what? My speech landed really well. I even the organizer privately shared with me that um, you know, one of his family, I was the favorite speech of one of his family members, which I was very flattered to hear. And it it was it the it's just you know, the wind and fire don't care who you voted for, guys. And Mother Nature, you know, well, it's not just Mother Nature, it's also it's this failed infrastructure, it's so it's all of this, it's all the broken bits, and you know, we have to find ways to cross our divides and unite. And you've heard me say this on other topics, and anybody who knows me hears me talk about this that you know, as distasteful as it may seem, you know, we've lost a big chunk of the country to this insanity because we have allowed ourselves by the powers that be, by the Trumps of the world, and and to some degree our party as well. Social media, all of the social media, all of the Democrats did it too. Like they're all about kind of segmenting, correct, because as long as we are divided and not united, they can make it about all of us and not about them. Because the minute everyone actually starts having conversations and starts talking and starts realizing that they agree more than they disagree, those folks at the top are in deep trouble. Okay, this is when you get into coup territory and you know, people get instructed very much, you know, having their and Marie Antoinette moment their moment, right?
SPEAKER_01:Here's the uh revolutionaries.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it's true. And, you know, I think that that it that is a really powerful statement, and that is why, you know, when given the opportunity to go and speak in those circles, I will always do it. Unlike Newsom and Bass and our other electeds who were terrified to show up. And this is gonna bring it full circle to what I was I was kind of jumping into earlier in this segment and didn't finish the thought, which was that you know, a lot of when you when you leave this, when you when you don't show up, when you don't have accountability, when you don't come to kind of face the music and speak to how you're gonna fix things to correct and and regain trust, you leave a vacuum and really scary shit happens in that vacuum, like Trump.
SPEAKER_01:And who he was railing on today.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and then this is where we are, you know, those electeds, all every single one of them, should have been at every one of these events, and not just the events that are friendly and warm and fuzzy with the what I call, you know, kind of correct, where we have certain people in the community who have just really leaned into that, and you know, like they are just part of the machine now themselves, and that includes some of our philanthropy that we're gonna talk about in the next episode. But, you know, the bottom line is like, you know, we have kind of been painted now as like the like this counter movement, and it shouldn't be that. We're actually the community. This we speak for the actual community, the people who are here, who are living this, the fire survivors. And as the longer we continue to try and silence those voices and marginalize them and target them and single them out and discredit them, and you know, yesterday's fire survivor organizer organizer in the palisades had put 40 grand of his own money out to properly run that rally, secure the permits, do the whole thing. And Karen Bass came out and called him a disaster profiteer.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's interesting when you look at the events that are put on and the difference between what's going on in the Palisades and what's going on here, and whether how much orchestration goes on for some of these events. And it's hard for people to understand to peel back the onion. And if we get to it in the next episode, great. If we don't, we'll pick it up on Tuesday. But this is definitely my the readers of my Substack know this is something I've been discussing a lot more recently. I crossed the Rubicon, as it was said a couple days ago. And you know, anyway, having said all that, let's wrap this up so that our listeners can get a break and get on to the next episode when you're ready.
SPEAKER_03:So we're gonna do a um, you know, our usual small bit shout-out, but I'm gonna make this one a little bit different and direct you to my Substack notes. So for those who don't aren't on Substack, you don't have to have the Stubstack app to follow our notes. Um, I don't think you ever write in notes, but I do because you know I don't again social media post daily like Steve does. I write in a little bit more long form when there's things to talk about. Mine's long form. I was trying to be, I was trying to be flattering, Steve. I was trying to try to let you off the hook a little. But um I do share a lot of daily things in um, you know, in other spheres. So, like, you know, our social media, our Instagram at Beautiful Altadena. If we we share hundreds of critical items every month in um our stories, and those stories are also on our public Facebook page, also Beautiful Altadena. So I highly recommend people follow those, even if they don't follow much else, because there's it's just like a trove of information of events, resources, grants, you know, passages, poetry, art shows. It's really good stuff. So get in there. But I also post to notes, and one of the things that I posted to notes this week um is um some commentary that we are asked often in our beautiful Alternative group, like, what food businesses can I support? What restaurants? And I feel like we have a handful that everybody knows Prime Pizza, Betsy, Maya Thai, Faroak's Burger, right? Because those are the things that you know we're talking about a lot. But we have so many other small food businesses, small food markets. We have um also, you know, cottage uh food food businesses uh who don't get the love and the accolades um that all the others do. So I made a comprehensive list of everything from restaurants, brick and mortar restaurants to markets, wine shops, um, trucks, stands, pop-ups, cottage food businesses, and then a separate list of those who are not specifically in Altadena, but who are Altadena owned and fire impacted. So people know um, you know, who they can go support. If you want to spend your dollars supporting Altadena small business because they really need you, um, there's also a coffee and treat section.
SPEAKER_01:Um, we're at the cookie store. The cookie show. The cookie co.
SPEAKER_03:Cookie co, yes. Yeah, she they they do such, I love them.
SPEAKER_01:But Kate went in and it was like at least 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_03:They don't have gluten-free every day, but when they do, I'm so into it. They they have the best stuff and also their designs are great and they do really funny shit. I love them. But so then anyhow, for our small business shout-out, I just want to focus and highlight those, um, all of the the the gamut of on your food businesses and you can go find that comprehensive list on our Substack.
SPEAKER_01:So with you don't have to advertise with Shauna to get on that list.
SPEAKER_03:No, I'm teasing, I'm teasing. Uh I mean haha, but no, absolutely not. I that anyhow, I'm not even I was gonna share a story, but I'm not going to because we're gonna wrap it up. We've got to wrap it up. We're gonna wrap it up. So, with that, um, we will see you in episode 26. You know where to find us. Steve and I are both on Substack.
SPEAKER_01:Shauna's now writing again on Substack. So it's a beautiful Altadina, and I'm at the Alta Policy Wonk.
SPEAKER_03:And um, we also kind of have I'm gonna direct people to Altadina Water Wars if you're not. Oh, yeah, yeah. If you're this is not a topic for today or even for the next episode probably, probably Tuesday. Yeah, I think it's next week. From time with this next week.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, maybe maybe we'll find out who Mr. Giddis is, too. I know. Chinatown in the foothills. I don't know where you got that one from.
SPEAKER_03:I don't know either, Steve Sags. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:At least someone was reading back in April.
SPEAKER_03:I know. All right, all right, everyone. Thanks for listening. Thanks for sticking it out with us as always, and we'll talk to you next time.
SPEAKER_01:All right, take care.