When fires broke out across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025, Miguel Santana grasped the magnitude of the catastrophe befalling his hometown sooner than most — he flew over the blazes, twice.
Climbing above the LA basin on his way to a meeting in Sacramento, the California Community Foundation CEO watched flames e
ngulf homes and hillsides in the Pacific Palisades as fierce winds shook the airplane cabin. Before he returned the next day, another fire began tearing through Altadena, 30 miles northeast of the Palisades.
Related: The Return Period for An LA Wildfire-Scale Event May Be Shorter Than You Think
“Flying over it really brought light to how serious the whole thing was,” said Santana, a longtime civil servant for LA city and cou
nty before entering philanthropy. “From the very beginning I had a feeling this was going to be a really unprecedented disaster.”
CCF immediately activated its wildfire recovery fund, donating $30 million in the first month to nonprofits helping survivors with immediate needs.
One year later, the fund has raised over $100 million from nearly 50,000 donors worldwide, offering a singular opportunity
to help survivors and a daunting challenge of where to focus resources over a years-long recovery.
Related: Less Than a Dozen Homes Have Been Rebuilt a Year After LA Wildfires
The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and destroyed 17,000 structures, impacting tens of thousands of Ange
lenos who lost homes, schools, places of worship, and jobs. An estimated 7 in 10 survivors are still not home and only 10 houses are rebuilt across both f
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ire footprints. Mental health among survivors is worsening as they struggle to regain stability.
Santana spoke with The Associated Press in December about the future of LA’s recovery. The interview was edited for clarity and length.
How Did CCF Approach The Overwhelming Need in Those First Weeks?
We were trying to support those communities and survivors who we
re most likely going to fall through the cracks. Senior citizens, children, renters, folks who lost employment and were living paycheck to paycheck.
I also felt it was important that we start identifying what were the systemic issues that were going to surface, and start supporting advocacy around that.
We know that during a disaster, whether it’s COVID or any other, the inequities that existed prior only get amplified. So we were concerned that it was going to be an uneven recovery.