As devastating fires blew up across Los Angeles last week, researchers from the Latino Policy and Politics Institute and the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge at UCLA released a data brief highlighting systemic inequities that, if not acknowledged and accounted for in the wildfire recovery efforts, could exacerbate long-standing inequalities in Latino and underserved communities across the county.

The researchers underscored that the consequences could be particularly negative for Latino communities, which disproportionately suffer from pollution, a lack of access to insurance (either medical or disaster-related) and other safety net programs, and a lack of access to critical medical care in the wake of disasters.

Outdoor workers are particularly vulnerable.

The higher concentration of Latino employment in outdoor work (construction, landscaping, vending, etc.), the researchers noted, puts them at greater risk for respiratory illnesses due to hazardous wildfire smoke.

The fact that many of these workers already reside in communities with poor air quality compounds the potential for significant harm.

And, as is becoming increasingly clear, too many of these workers have lost their income stream after the homes they worked in and around in both the Palisades and Altadena went up in flames.

The need for these workers - and, in particular, immigrant workers who cannot access federal emergency assistance - to quickly find new sources of income is very real and very pressing.

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