[Above, the trailer for a new documentary podcast called "Tahitian Terrace: The Fight to Return Home" to be released this year. -- eds.]
One year ago today, C&L founder John Amato stood watching flames crest the hill above his home in Tahitian Terrace, a mobile home community in Pacific Palisades. When his neighbor Cheryl called 9-1-1, the response was chilling: "You're not our priority." Emergency services were focused on the upscale Palisades Highlands neighborhood, barely a mile away.
Within hours, everything was gone.
A Community Erased
Tahitian Terrace wasn't just a mobile home park—it was one of the last affordable housing communities on the California coast. Over 400 people from 158 families called it home: a 100-year-old woman, teachers living on modest pensions, young families, and a tight-knit community that looked after one another.
"This became like our chosen family," one resident said in the aftermath. "It's a little community, and everybody takes care of everybody else."
Today, not a single home stands. The entire park was reduced to ash and twisted metal. As one survivor put it: "Your whole history of your life just melted."
Broken Promises, Continued Struggle
The devastation was compounded by political betrayal. Despite public promises to help California wildfire victims, the Trump administration refused to even meet with Governor Gavin Newsom when he traveled to Washington seeking federal disaster aid. Not a single FEMA official—"not even an intern," as Newsom noted—would engage with state representatives seeking help for survivors.
For John and hundreds of other Tahitian Terrace residents, this wasn't just about losing possessions. They lost their community, their stability, and their sense of security. Many are still struggling to rebuild their lives one year later.
Why Your Help Matters Now
Unlike residents of wealthier neighborhoods who had insurance coverage and resources to relocate quickly, many Tahitian Terrace families had limited savings and no safety net. John, like his neighbors, faces the daunting task of starting over from nothing at a time when housing costs in California have never been higher.
The residents aren't asking for much—just a chance to rebuild, to come home, to not be forgotten. As one survivor pleaded in the days after the fire: "Don't forget us."
How You Can Help
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help John Amato recover from his devastating losses. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference in helping someone rebuild a life that was completely destroyed.
One year later, while the news cameras have moved on and the headlines have faded, the struggle continues for those who lost everything. John and his former neighbors at Tahitian Terrace are still fighting to rebuild. They just don't want to be left in the dark.
Please consider donating today and sharing this campaign with others who might be able to help. As the residents of Tahitian Terrace showed for years before the fire, communities thrive when we take care of each other.
