Why 'rippling effects' of wildfires will have lasting impact on LA's Latino community
Published 29 January 2025
The wildfires that ravaged much of Los Angeles County have disproportionately impacted Latino workers and communities and are likely to have lasting effects as the region recovers, researchers say.
The county’s Latinos are vulnerable on multiple fronts, according to a report compiled by the Latino Policy and Politics Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Those include higher rates of employment in industries requiring a physical presence, higher exposure to air pollution and lower rates of health insurance.
As a result, the economic instability and impacts on wellbeing disproportionately experienced by the county's Latino population ― the largest in terms of percentage in the U.S. ― are both likely to linger given its outsized representation in industries that will either experience long-term upheaval or expose them to ongoing health risks.
“For Latinos, who make up a significant portion of the Los Angeles workforce, these rippling effects are particularly severe,” the report said.
Multiple fires throughout the county earlier this month killed 29 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures. By focusing on the area’s Latino community, who comprise nearly half the county’s population of about 10 million, the UCLA report illustrates how wildfire impact analysis has become more specialized as climate changes have made wildfires a more common threat to area economies and social welfare.
“Fires are not all equal,” said civil rights lawyer Sonja Diaz, co-founder and former director of the UCLA institute, as part of a virtual panel about the findings. “It’s not necessarily about where people live; it’s about the disruption.”