On the Ground in LA:
Rebuilding After the Fires
How do you rebuild after historic wildfires tear through your community and uproot your life?
On the Ground in LA: Rebuilding After the Fires is a powerful video miniseries that goes beyond headlines to follow the people on the ground leading LA County’s recovery. These videos highlight the critical work of union labor, public officials, and local communities rebuilding hope, one job site at a time. From hazmat cleanup crews tackling toxic debris, union workers and contractors laying the foundation for safer communities, and local legislators coordinating the comeback, each episode offers an unfiltered look at the challenges, grit, and solidarity driving the rebuilding of LA County.
Rebuild SoCal Partnership is the presenting sponsor for the LA Times’ newest podcast, Rebuilding Los Angeles. Our mini-series videos are included at the end of every episode. You can watch and listen to the powerful stories on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Episode 1: Rebuilding Lives – Rebuilding Altadena:
This video follows the story of Sandra Molina, a single mother of three children who turned her life around through the help of the Laborers Union. She rebuilt her life and is now helping to rebuild Altadena as a Hazmat worker. Sandra enrolled as a Laborers Apprentice and took the Laborers Hazmat training course before being dispatched to a job with Anvil Builders. She works from 6 AM to 6 PM, often 7 days a week. We met Sandra at her home at 4 AM, where she prepared for work and kissed her young children goodbye. We followed her to work to get a sense of her responsibilities leading a Hazmat crew as they moved from property to property. We also captured the visit of Laborers District Council leader Jon Preciado to the Altadena site, where Sandra and other Laborers were working. Preciado pointed out that these workers are building careers and rebuilding a community. We followed Sandra back home after work and talked to her young daughter, Abigail, who knows how hard her mother works to give her children a better life.