My City Was Gone

Well, 2025 isn’t going how I thought it would. I’m writing from a desk overlooking a beautiful bay filled with sailboats in Point Loma, California. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping. It’s an idyllic setting, and I’m feeling lucky to be here and take in the view. At 10:00am on Tuesday, January 7th I was in my daughter’s 1st-grade classroom reading books to the children. At 11:40am I was back home getting an evacuation call from the school. I walked back over there to pick up our kids and we came home to have lunch. We have been through this fire stuff before, and it has taught us to both take it seriously every time and also not to get too worked up over the inconvenience of it all. At noon we made lunch and decided to pack a bag just in case we need to leave. My wife came home and she packed her bag. We made a reservation for a room downtown for a night and figured we would be back in a day. I commented to my wife that she was bringing too much because we would be back soon. I was wrong about the timeline, but we were right about needing to leave. We are all safe now and that’s the most important thing.

Normally, if a fire breaks out in the Santa Monica Mountains west of where you are things will be ok. Typically, the winds that fuel these fires move from east to west. This Palisades Fire and those winds were different. The fire started west of us and then moved south, east, and west in a way that I hadn’t experienced or expected. The ferocity and direction of those winds is what caused so much devastation with these fires. My heart breaks for so many families who have lost homes, people who have lost jobs, businesses that are gone, and just the sheer horror of the whole situation in LA. We know so many people who have suffered great loss, including some of my closest friends, our school principal, and so many more. It’s devastation on a scale that I have never seen nor known. I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone.

With my general emotional state, it’s been hard to do anything here in newsletter land. This morning my daughter joined a school Zoom and it felt like covid all over again. It’s not something I wanted to feel again. I thought perhaps the best thing to do is to tell everyone what is happening and what I am feeling so we can then get back to normal programming, which will certainly help me feel better.

Everything is different when you are a parent. You learn through each situation how complicated life can be when kids are involved. The children also help to clarify what is important and that actually helps me to simplify very confusing times. As much as I would have liked to stay in our neighborhood and keep everything as it was, I know change is part of life and often it’s not up to you when change is going to come. In moments like this I keep thinking that the best thing to do is to just let it come and wash over you. Just be where your feet are and all that good stuff.

We know things won’t ever be the same and don’t know if or when we could go back. We don’t know what role that community will play in our lives going forward, but we know the times were good there while we had them. We’re grateful we were there in those moments. I’m also glad to have all of you in this corner of the internet and I appreciate your support. It will surely help me navigate what’s to come.

We also appreciate the kindness we have received from both friends and strangers. We are lucky by comparison, but these gestures are still moving and meaningful to our family. We’re crushed by what has happened to the Palisades community. It is truly one of the most special places I have ever been, and I’m horrified at what has happened. By now you already know places that could use your help, but if you are still looking for a place to support I would recommend the California Community Foundation or the LA Dream Center both of which are doing great things to help the community.

Thanks for reading all of that. After today I’m going to get back to the typical subject matter of this newsletter. That’s what you’re here for, and it’s what makes us all happy. This is not to overlook the tragedy of what has happened in Los Angeles, but to focus on the good things while we have them.

-Michael