LA, the place I call home

It will never be the same again

I’ve been trying to write you a post about the death of social media but since Tuesday I’ve found myself mourning something else - Los Angeles as I know it.

Even from 6,000 miles away in frosty London, with my little Venice bungalow thankfully still standing, the grief I feel is overwhelming. So much so I find it difficult to fathom how those who’ve lost loved ones, pets, homes, possessions and memories can possibly be coping. Or to understand the depth of fear experienced by the more than 179,000 residents who have been forced to flee, or the anxiety of those who remain and watch as wildfires spread and new ones spark. My heart aches for every one of them.

I too am glued to the news networks, the feeds, the wildfire tracking app Watch Duty and my doorbell camera. What I’ve seen, and heard from friends, is haunting. Entire neighbourhoods razed to the ground. More than 2,000 homes, businesses and community spaces destroyed or scarred beyond recognition. In the Palisades alone more than 17,000 acres of land has been turned to ash following the out-of-control fires and the high winds that fuelled them.

A friend’s home, which he shares with his young family, is now nothing more than a pile of charred rubble.

The nightmare is sadly far from over and as I lay awake in the early hours I wondered what I’d do if I was there. Would I be sheltering in place just two miles south of the mandatory evacuation zone? Would I pack up my most cherished things and make a run for it? All I know right now is that I long to be back in the city I love, with the people I care about, the place I call home.

Unlike many other transplants I didn’t seek out Los Angeles - it found me. The sprawling city came with a job I would have been mad to turn down, but was equally mad to accept. Being unhinged may partially explain why I so willingly gave up my comfy life in London and headed for the U.S., eventually settling in the colourful beach town of Venice in 2016.

The job at Snapchat that lured me across the Atlantic is now in the past, but I’ve never been able to quit 90291. Even when a cute Essex boy pulled me back to London in 2022 I figured out a way to split my time between two cities in two different continents. He took a bit of convincing but he loves LA as much as I do now.

For all of Los Angeles’ issues - and there is much, much dysfunction and inequality - I’m smitten. Wildly expensive for sure, but the best of it, the miles-long beaches, the sunsets, the hiking trails, the vibes and the persistent sunshine all come for free.

It may be stationed on one of the very last time zones on earth, but LA often feels years ahead. Self-driving taxis are a regular sight and lifestyle, fitness, food and fashion trends are born there daily. A small point I know, but it’s deeply underrated how ace it is to watch late night sports events and award shows on Pacific Time.

And the people, oh the people. Sure the “fake” stereotype can be true. And yes, a statistically high proportion of people self-identify as empaths. But you can get past that quite quickly when you realise that Los Angeles produces, attracts and moulds some of the most creative people on earth.

As divided by neighbourhood and wealth as the city is, it’s united by the idea that they Not Like Us and by a collective obsession with its infamous traffic. Just before I left in November I drove from a friend’s house in Pasadena back to Venice on the mercifully quiet 10 after the Dodgers won the World Series. Fireworks lit up the sky as the city celebrated. The town is holding hands once again but it’s despair that’s now shared.

The destruction from the wildfires is so major it marks the end of an era for Los Angeles. The city will never be the same again. Not only will it bear physical scars, the trauma of its people will likely never dissipate. Like the pandemic, Los Angeles history will now be categorised as pre or post the fires of January 2025.

But you’d be a fool to count LA out. It will rebuild. It’s residents will make sure of that. And with the World Cup and the Olympics coming to town in the next three years it’s got a show to put on, and that’s the thing La La Land does best.

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Need help? If you, or someone you know, needs temporary housing please reach out at rr@bmend.com

Able to help? The California Community Fund is dedicated to helping victims of wildfires. Donate here.

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highly flammable is produced and written by me, Rachel Richardson

I’m a content creator, commentator and consultant at Beginning, Middle and End

Want more? Check out Threads, Twitter/X and Instagram. I’m also dabbling in some Bluesky thinking.

Email rr@bmend.com