Rebuild:LA Episode 023 - Rebuilding Community One Park at a Time with LA Rec and Parks' Brenda Aguirre

When the Palisades Fire ripped through Los Angeles, the Department of Recreation and Parks got to work on myriad fronts. Park Rangers, who are actually trained in wildland firefighting, battled dozens of smaller spot fires in parks all over the city that day. Rec and Parks facilities re-invented themselves as evacuation sites and shelters for displaces residents. And two equestrian centers took in more than 550 horses (along with a few donkeys and some larger pigs). Rec and Parks might seem like the city department that fixes playgrounds and cleans pools, but they’re much more than that. They suffered losses during the Palisades Fire, they cared for hundreds of people and animals, and they’ve come out on the other end of the fire, helping rebuild not only park facilities, but whole communities. Cameron Barrett’s guest is Department of Recreation Assistant General Manager Brenda Aguirre.

Resources:

• LA City Department of Recreation and Parks
• LA Stables Turn Into Noah’s Ark
• Palisades Fire Emergency Shelter
• Griffith Observatory’s 90th Anniversary Celebration
• Palisades Recreation Center

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 7:00 Griffith Park
• 11:00 Brush Clearance in 500 city parks
• 13:15 What did Rec and Parks lose in the Palisades Fire
• 16:15 Bracing for the Palisades Fire
• 17:50 Sheltering with Rec and Parks
• 22:20 Pets in the city's disaster shelters
• 25:00 How did wildlife in the parks survive?
• 27:06 What it's like in a city emergency shelter?
• 31:45 How is Rec and Parks recovering?
• 35:45 Rethinking PalisadesRecreation Center
• 37:40 Rebuilding LA by rebuilding LA parks