We Love You L.A.

Summary

Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak
Episode: We Love You L.A.
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Producer: Lemonada Media

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Introduction

In this emotionally charged episode titled "We Love You L.A.," hosts Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak delve deep into the devastating wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles. They explore the personal, communal, and economic impacts of these natural disasters, offering insights into disaster preparedness and highlighting the resilience of affected communities.

The Wildfires in Los Angeles

Kulap opens the discussion by expressing her deep affection for Los Angeles, a city she considers home for over 27 years. She poignantly remarks, “This place is more home to me than where I grew up. I've spent my entire adult life here. I've met my best friends. I found my careers” (02:55).

The episode centers around the recent wildfires exacerbated by gale-force winds and ongoing fire threats. Kulap provides a vivid depiction of the situation: “At the time of this recording, my city is bracing itself for another windstorm as acres of wildfires are still burning” (02:17).

Personal Impact and Experiences

Kulap shares her personal ordeal during the wildfires, painting a harrowing picture of the fear and urgency that gripped her and her family. At 07:06, she recounts the moment she saw flames from her window: “I just saw the fire burning. I was like, we have to go. We're going now.” This immediate response underscores the severity and unpredictability of the fires.

Suchin Pak adds to the narrative by describing the surreal experience: “When you sent that video, I was like, that looks like a video game. I was scared” (07:06). The hosts vividly recount their frantic preparations, including packing cars and ensuring their loved ones were safe, highlighting the instinctual survival mode activated in such crises.

Community Response and Support

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the communal spirit that emerges during disasters. Kulap applauds the collective efforts: “People are showing up for each other in the midst of tremendous loss and ongoing crisis. That's through volunteering, donating, sharing resources, checking in on each other” (03:08).

The hosts extend heartfelt gratitude to first responders, including firefighters from diverse backgrounds and even incarcerated fire crews. Kulap emphasizes, “We have firefighters from Canada, Mexico, South Africa, just to name a few” (03:08). Their appreciation for these brave individuals sets a tone of unity and resilience.

Disaster Preparedness: Adding to and Removing from Cart

True to the podcast’s theme, Kulap and Suchin discuss the importance of disaster preparedness, focusing on what to "add to cart" and what to remove. Kulap shares her meticulous approach to preparing a go bag, detailing essential items like:

• Air Quality Apps: Kulap recommends the Watch Duty App and IQ Air App for real-time air quality monitoring (19:22). She highlights the significance of understanding particulate matter and its long-term health effects, especially in areas like Altadena with pre-existing environmental concerns.

• Air Purifiers: SuChin discusses the balance between maintaining indoor air quality and ensuring proper ventilation to manage CO2 levels, illustrating the complexities of maintaining a safe environment during wildfires (27:02).

• Go Bag Essentials: The hosts humorously yet practically outline the "six Ps" for disaster preparedness: People, Pets, Papers (important documents), Prescriptions, Photos, and Plastic (credit cards and IDs). Kulap jokes about the practical challenges, saying, “I didn’t pack one single photo. I have my phone” (30:35), emphasizing the shift towards digital backups.

Air Quality and Health Concerns

With Los Angeles being one of the most polluted cities, air quality becomes a focal point. Kulap stresses the importance of monitoring AQI levels and investing in quality air purifiers: “If you can't afford it, invest in some air purifiers, especially in your bedroom” (25:31). This advice is particularly pertinent given the release of asbestos and lead from the fires in Altadena, posing severe health risks.

The hosts discuss strategies to protect vulnerable populations, including families with young children and individuals with asthma. Kulap shares her personal measures: “We are masked up again, and it is completely reminiscent of the pandemic” (22:24), highlighting the ongoing challenges of maintaining health safety during such crises.

Economic Impacts: Price Gouging

A critical economic issue addressed is price gouging during emergencies. Kulap vehemently opposes this unethical practice, asserting, “Switching a hard right that, I mean, that has to be illegal” (41:22). She explains the legal measures in place in California to prevent landlords and businesses from exploiting disaster situations by hiking prices for essential goods and services.

SuChin supports this stance, emphasizing the moral and legal implications: “It is illegal. You are a piece of shit” (43:01). The discussion underscores the importance of community vigilance and reporting mechanisms to combat such exploitative behaviors, ensuring that aid reaches those genuinely in need.

Historical Resilience of Altadena

The hosts highlight the rich, diverse history of Altadena, a community with strong generational ties and high homeownership rates among African Americans—exceeding 80%, nearly double the national rate. SuChin shares, “Altadena is one of those places that, as Kulab said, historically during the civil rights era, it was one of the very few areas in LA to be exempt from redlining” (45:14).

This historical perspective underscores the trauma of losing homes that have been in families for generations and the broader implications for community heritage and wealth. Kulap reflects on the profound loss: “These are communities that are incredibly diverse. We all know that. But Altadena isn't one of those places” (45:14), lamenting the destruction of longstanding, multicultural neighborhoods.

Support and Recovery Efforts

Kulap and Suchin emphasize the necessity of sustained support beyond immediate relief. They advocate for ongoing community involvement, such as assisting with FEMA grant applications and supporting local non-profits like Altadena Girls and Altadena Boys (53:07). SuChin mentions, “Helping people apply for all these FEMA grants… that's the kind of work that makes or breaks who gets left behind” (51:27).

They encourage listeners to contribute through various channels:

• GoFundMe’s Nonprofit Relief Fund
• California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund
• Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
• California Fire Foundation

Kulap warns against the fleeting nature of media attention and the need to maintain awareness and support: “I just want to speak that out loud. I don't blame us with the way that media and the way that we want to move on, but sometimes what happens is that those who need don't get what they need before we've moved on” (49:43).

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a heartfelt call to action. Kulap and Suchin urge listeners to not only prepare for disasters by thoughtfully managing their "carts" but also to engage in community support and advocacy to aid recovery efforts. They emphasize the collective responsibility to sustain support for those affected, ensuring that the initial burst of aid translates into long-term recovery and resilience.

Kulap poignantly states, “Let’s take care of each other” (44:23), encapsulating the episode's core message of unity, preparedness, and ongoing support amidst the challenges posed by wildfires in Los Angeles.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kulap Vilaysak (02:55): "This place is more home to me than where I grew up. I've spent my entire adult life here. I've met my best friends. I found my careers."

• Kulap Vilaysak (07:06): “I just saw the fire burning. I was like, we have to go. We're going now.”

• Kulap Vilaysak (19:22): "I think everybody should download the Watch Duty App. It's a nonprofit. It was so clutch during this time."

• Suchin Pak (27:02): "It's a tricky dance, right, because you need that CO2 to release from your house. There's really no perfect solution."

• Kulap Vilaysak (25:31): "If you can't afford it, invest in some air purifiers, especially in your bedroom."

• Kulap Vilaysak (41:22): "Switching a hard right that, I mean, that has to be illegal."

• Suchin Pak (45:14): "Altadena is one of those places that, as Kulab said, historically during the civil rights era, it was one of the very few areas in LA to be exempt from redlining."

• SuChin Pak (51:27): "Helping people apply for all these FEMA grants… that's the kind of work that makes or breaks who gets left behind."

• Kulap Vilaysak (44:23): "Let’s take care of each other."

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Final Thoughts

In "We Love You L.A.," Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak offer a comprehensive and heartfelt examination of the wildfires impacting Los Angeles. Through personal stories, practical advice, and a strong emphasis on community and resilience, the hosts provide listeners with both emotional understanding and actionable steps to navigate and support those affected by such devastating events. This episode not only sheds light on the immediate challenges but also underscores the enduring spirit of Los Angeles and its inhabitants in the face of adversity.

Transcript

[Reshma Saujani]

Hi, I'm Reshma Sajani, founder of Girls who Code. Look, I'd consider myself a pretty successful adult woman. I've written books, founded two successful nonprofits, and I'm raising two incredible kids. But here's the thing. I still wake up wondering, is this it? And if the best years are yet to come, when's that going to start? Join me on my so Called Midlife, my new podcast with Lemonada Media, where we're building a playbook for navigating midlife one episode at a time. Each week, I'll chat with extraordinary guests who've transformed their midlife crisis into opportunities for growth and newfound purpose. At some point, we all ask ourselves, is there more to life? I'm here to discover how to thrive in my second act, right alongside you. My so Called Midlife is out now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Samantha Bee]

Hey, Choice Words listeners. Sam Bee here. Guess what? We are back with a brand new season of Choice Words from Lemonada Media. Each week, I'll chat with amazing guests like Kerry Washington, Laura Dern, and Nick Offerman to dive into the biggest choices they've ever made. We are talking career shaping, history, changing life defining decisions. As someone who has made my own fair share of questionable choices. Hello, Bangs. I am pumped to share these funny, poignant, all too relatable stories with you. Season 2 of Choice Words is out now. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. You won't want to miss it.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Lemonada.

[Suchin Pak]

Also with that fire boy. Wait.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Hello, Carters. It's your Auntie Cuckoo Isaac.

[Suchin Pak]

And I'm your other auntie. Nice and easy. Sweet, sweet Sue.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Sweet, sweet Sutton Pak. A delight to see you. Your beautiful face. Your hair looks luscious.

[Suchin Pak]

Does it?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It does. It does.

[Suchin Pak]

Thanks. Thank you. I've been working on it. But hey, that's for another episode.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

That's another episode. That's for the rest of the year. Today I want to start this episode by saying how much I love Los Angeles. And at the time of this recording, my city is bracing itself for another windstorm as acres of wildfires are still burning. And I moved here days after I graduated high school. Like, literally, I think the day after I graduated.

[Suchin Pak]

From where?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

From Minnesota. From Eagan, Minnesota, to go to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. And so this summer, it'll be 27 years.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And so this. This place is more home to me than where. Where I grew up. I've spent my entire adult life here. I've met my best friends. I found my careers.

[Suchin Pak]

Your baby Daddy, my baby.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Daddy, my baby. This is a diverse and sprawling working class town. It's filled with people who are now showing up for each other in the midst of tremendous loss and ongoing crisis due to these fires. And that's through volunteering, it's donating, it's sharing resources, it's checking in on each other and overall caring for the community. And I need to shout out the first responders, the brave firefighters, including the incarcerated fire crews who are making far below minimum wage, the traveling fire crews that have come from out of city, state and country. We have firefighters from Canada, Mexico, South Africa, just to name a few. And I know five families that have lost their homes. They were mostly from the Eaton fire, which has decimated much of the historic black and middle class neighborhood of Altadena. So, so many people have lost everything. And Sue, I know you know people whose homes have been destroyed too.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah, I mean, I don't think anyone living in LA doesn't know someone by just even one degree of separation that hasn't lost a home at this point.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And to say also that everybody here has been deeply affected. There's no one unaffected by these fires in Los Angeles. It's been harrowing. It's been very stressful because you're right.

[Suchin Pak]

Up there, you, when, when we all checked in with you as this was all happening, you shared a photo in our group chat.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, I mean this all started at the time of this recording, you know, last week. And we had been alerted, we'd all been alerted that some gale force winds were on their way and to be prepared. And then I think no one could really, while being warned, foresee or understand what was to come. Till Tuesday night when the Palisades fire began and then how quickly that grew and then the various fires that started after that, including the Eaton fire, and then just pins and needles of just like, okay, are we, when do we go being so concerned for everybody and checking in as just glued to the watch duty app. Do I know somebody in this area near here? Are you okay? Do you need to come here? The level of anxiety and fear and also just horror at how just the Eaton fire, especially what happened within an hour was unlike. It remained shocking. While these fires sort of were. We had the Palisades fire, we had fire with the Eaton fire going strong. There were some fires that were a little bit north. Then a fire started, what was called the Sunset fire and that is near Runyon Canyon. And so at that point, while we were packed and ready to go, go, I kind of was Like, I think we can stay. We weren't going to be evacuated. And I kind of got to a point where, like, I think, I think we're going to be okay to stay at least tonight. Started making dinner and then I turned to my left and I, I, I, like, I saw the fire, like, I saw the fire burning. And I, it was this sort of, this moment of like, huh, okay. Like, trying to process in that moment of like, okay, I, I've been glued to the TV local news and get all the coverage of the various fires. And I'd been again, like I said on the Watch app, looking at it in that form and then, but then to actually see flames and see. And I was like, no.

[Suchin Pak]

When you sent that video, I was like, that looks like a video game. I'm like, that doesn't even look real. Like, how are you looking out your window and just seeing fire, you know, like that close? That was, I was scared.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I just was like, aha. And, and I, at that point, the winds had, they were strong, but not as strong and helicopters were able to go in. And they were like, I really want to say that they contained that fire very quickly. But at that moment, for me, I was like, we have to go. Like, I just was like, we're going, we're going.

[Suchin Pak]

Now when you're faced with that, because I actually don't, I have no idea how I would react. Are you just like, shut down? Is it a scrambling mode? Like, I'm just curious, like, what, what was going through your mind in terms of, like, what do I take? How do I get out of here? Does any of that even enter your mind other than just leave?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I go into survival mode. And I'm not saying that it's. It probably was basically I, I just start to. My body took about 40 hours after that for my body to kind of feel everything. I just numb everything. And it's time to move. Yeah, that's time to move.

[Suchin Pak]

I feel like that's how I would, I would be. People are like, well, what do I take? I, I don't even think my brain would go there. I'm like, what do you. None of it. Just one. Absolutely.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Not that, that day, though, I mean, because I was on alert and you guys know, you, the listeners already know that I'm a low key. I mean, maybe not really low key doomsday prepper. And so I, I, again, I was prepped not to say that I certainly. We had pulled out and we had taken two, two cars. I had. Emmy and Scott had the Dogs. And I. Scott was behind me at one point. I was like, ah, you gotta turn back. I forgot to get her pack and play. Like, you know, we're gonna need her pack and play, and we're gonna need her sleep pod. Like, we got. Sorry, sorry. Like, but my mode is very much like, we're going like, scott, we're going down. He's like, we are. I'm like, yeah, we are. And like, call right rooms right now. Go right now. And then I'm just sort of like trying to firmly, but absolutely barking orders. And. And then I am 100. You watch the baby. And I am loading both of our cars. Yeah, like, that's my mode. Like, I'm. I'm a doer. I'm a doer.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Okay. Okay. All right, that makes sense. Okay.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And we're leaving. And I. And right before that, I, like, I saw the fire. I was like. And I had told my sister Alyssa, who lives, you know, five minutes away from me, and I. And she lives with her boyfriend and her dog Archie. And I had told her prior. I'm like, be ready. I called her in the morning prior to that. I'm like, look, just be ready. Have a go back. She's like, really? Yes. Soon as that fire started, I said, alyssa, we're going. Like, we're going. We're going now.

[Suchin Pak]

She's like, okay.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

She said, where we're going? I'm like, I will text you where you're going, but pack your car, we're leaving now. And right when she hit the 101, she got a pre evac notice. Yeah, we just gotta go. And I had already been really worried about the air quality and like, it just. The ash was coming down. It just was. Yeah, it was harrowing. I mean, but we're. We are safe. Our house is safe. And I. Yeah, my. My heart really goes out to the people we know and. And don't know who have lost everything. And, you know, it's. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah, I know. It's like you'd think. You think? I think living outside of California, it's like, aren't you guys used to this by now? You know, in some place it's tornadoes or hurricanes, like sort of, you know, because we. I mean, to live in California is to live in fire and earthquake. You know, you'd see it's either one or the other, you know? Yeah. But I don't know, this just feels. This feels so different than the other.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Fires, because it is.

[Suchin Pak]

I like, let's just say I've never. I've never. And I've been. We've been sort of close. I mean, I live in Santa Barbara. You know, a few years ago, some of you may know there's huge fires here. I mean, Montecito just basically washed away in a disastrous mudslide.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And no, the Ojai fires, like that was, you know, it was.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. But this one felt different, you know, Now I'm like checking all the go bags, checking the insurance policy. I just want to know. I know nothing can be done about the insurance policies at this point. Controversial topic.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

But I don't.

[Suchin Pak]

Let me just know how bad it is because it's coming here. You know, we, we. It's coming for us, you know, if you're in California. So now I'm like, okay, everybody I keep seeing on socials, you know, about like people using their pool and.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, those pumps and stuff.

[Suchin Pak]

Those pumps and stuff. So yeah, you know, I never thought about that. Even living in the middle of many, many fires.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Well, I don't want us to get. Get bogged down in this conversation of insurance, but just for folks who are not from California and they're like, oh, why don't people insurance? And it's like, look, I. We were with State Farm for years. They stopped writing insurance in the state of California. And they weren't the only ones. These comp. Okay, I'm not gonna. I'm just. I want to say how difficult it is to get to get insurance, how expensive it is and how. How they left the state. Okay. So I just want to.

[Suchin Pak]

As.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

As these news are coming and you're. You're thinking about, you know, you're in the Midwest and you're thinking like, oh, well, they have this insurance. Different situation here. I just to understand that and I.

[Suchin Pak]

Yes, most working class families just are done. Yeah, this is it. That was. That was their future, their retirement, their whatever it was.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I mean, I don't know about that. I think maybe because I'm in. I'm in process right now and still.

[Suchin Pak]

Who knows what's going to happen in the next two weeks. You're not out of it. It hasn't been contained, you know.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

No, it has not. Yeah, we're gonna have some tips and just. Cause we're aunties and we wanna like, hey. Cause even if you're not in the fire, I think the things that we're gonna say, hey, add to cart would apply to not just in California. I think that that's true. And then just to Be prepared. You know, it's not just California that has these natural disasters and human disasters as well. What I have been heartened by is how much people have come together to support one another. And that's what, you know, in the early introduction, I really wanted hit to hit on. I see. I feel so hopeful. But it's also like, because I know, like it's just gonna be such a, a long, long road to recovery and we're not even there yet. Right now we're trying to take. Yeah, we, we're trying to deal with.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Like supporting our emergency triage.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah. And supporting the people who are doing that really hard work. Those firef. And people are like, you know, cooking food for the, for the fire department and all of the restaurants who are providing food to first responders and for people who have lost their homes and all of the businesses that are circling around and also like giving away clothing and providing their space for families to come and get stuff. And, you know, I mean, it's just. If you only knew. If you only knew what, what people are doing and how people are helping each other.

[Suchin Pak]

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[Kulap Vilaysak]

Okay. So I'm gonna get into some cart stuff. So I'm, you know, I mentioned the watch duty app. I think that's, you know, I think everybody should download that. I think it's really good. It's a non profit. It was so clutch during this time. It's something that other firefighters use. It's so up to date. I also just want to shout out world central kitchen and you know the Fred Rogers quote that gets bandied about, you know, like, look for the helpers, look for the people who are helping. They're there, they're always there. They're in the midst of, you know, they constantly are put in harm's way to give nourishment and food to those who need it the most. We'll have links later in our show, notes about where to donate. But back on the subject of, of air. So of course in, you know, iPhones we all have what I mentioned before, when you go and you look at like what the temperature is, it also kind of talks about the, you have the AQI number and living in Los Angeles, one of the most polluted cities ever, it is important to check that. I, in the past, I've always checked that and it does give me like, oh, is am I going to go outside or not? Am I going to go outside or not? The air quality is of even more importance to me at this moment. And there's a couple of new apps to me, of course, Sandipal Shear cued me into the IQ air app and.

[Suchin Pak]

It'S a great one.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

This is a great one you get. There's more detail. But even further. Lauren Lapkis last night shared with me the air care app. This one in particular, it measures particulate matter, which is also known as particulate pollution. So this is what we're talking about. What was burnt, what's in the ash. And sue, you're going to talk more. I know about the historic neighborhood of Altadena, but Altadena, you know, pre 1970s, there's a lot of asbestos and lead that are being, you know, released into the air, not measured by aqi. And not just that, but the, so many things that water, the water, there's.

[Suchin Pak]

Just people don't understand like you can't.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

You know, people in Pasadena can't, can't drink the water. Yeah, you have asthma. Kids, little, little ones, their, their lungs develop up to about age 5. They rapidly develop and it's just, it's just, you know, and as a parent you're just like so worried what do you like? We're masking up. Okay. We have to mask up. Like, I'm masking up. This is my choice that I'm making for my family and forcing my family to do. Not Emmy. Emmy. That's a lost cause. But. But we're masked up again, and it is completely reminiscent and of. Of the pandemic, and I hate wearing a mask. I hate it. But I. We have to do it, baby.

[Suchin Pak]

That's why I never took it off.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I know. I know.

[Suchin Pak]

I'm like, great, now we're all on the same page here. I'm kidding. I'm pleased. I jest, but.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I know. But we're not, though. We're not, though, because there's a lot of people who are, like, running around outside. I'm like, what are you doing?

[Suchin Pak]

I know.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

What are you doing?

[Suchin Pak]

I was like, how is it there? Because he's right in the middle of it, too. He was like, I don't understand. People are jogging without masks. They're outside brunch. I mean, this was probably, you know, the day after you evacuated.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It's tough because you look out the window and it's like. Especially compared to what it was.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah, it.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

You know, what it was was truly apocalyptic, and. And red and orange and. And now it's blue skies, and the air, as far as, you know, smells great, especially in comparison. But again, there's still ash on the ground. Ash. You know, it's in these. And of course. Guys, look. Look the stuff up. I can't. You know, I'm not. I'm. I'm Emmy's mommy, but I'm not your mommy. Look up all these things. But I'm gonna. For her, like, the most precious creature that I have ever met and will ever meet. I. You know, I'm know that I'm coming from this place of just, like, fear while also wanting her to not even know anything's wrong. Like, so it's this, like, dance.

[Suchin Pak]

Parent dance.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Parent dance.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And when we were in the hotel, when we had fled, which is, by the way, a pure privilege. So many people I know can't. They can't stop working. So many people I know they don't have a choice. They can't afford not to work outside. I also want to say that. And that's a lot of people in Los Angeles. Edge in my voice. So sorry. I get heated when I hear what some certain fox people say and certain president elect say about this town that they don't know about. And so it's not just Today it's these particles can and can gather in the base of your lungs and it can cause problems and cancer later. I mean, it was multiple volcanoes, spewing pollutants and chemicals into the sky and they're going to, you know, it's something that now I have. Well, who am I, Mike Bender? I gotta learn about off gassing. Like dafuq.

[Suchin Pak]

Like getting a tree on Christmas Eve.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Like, like this is. And this is going to be weeks after and these fires are not done. And so it's like, God, I mean, stop, stop running outside. Just stop running outside.

[Suchin Pak]

Stop running outside. Just hold it, hold it for just a few weeks. You just run in place. You know, there's so much you can do inside and let these aunties rest, you know, knowing that you're not out there doing calisthenics.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

If you need to stir up your kundalini, stay inside, Stay inside. And speaking of inside, and I truly believe this and not just in California. Like if, if you can't afford it, invest in some air purifiers. Like and especially in your, your bedroom. You sleep there for so much of your life. Like just look into it again. I'm not, I'm not your mommy. I'm Emmy's mommy. I'm Molly and George's mommy. But like the things that, I mean, yeah, these, the ones that I love, you know. And I recommend air doctor. I have one in our bedroom. It's. It is hardcore. It's. It's got three filters. One of it is a HEPA filter. Check those out. They're. They're not cheap. They're not cheap, but I'm just letting you know that they're awesome and it works. I have more units by blueair because such in told me about this. This all came pre pandemic and especially the blueairs came during the pandemic. We have units on every floor. I have one in Emmy's room, the one that I use I can monitor from an app which of course, you know, as Emmy sleeping. Even though we try to keep our windows closed and the house sealed as possible, you know, I'm vigilant the amount of vigilance to make sure that her air is clean as best I can. As best I can. Right. I recommend that. I mean, sue, do you have any thoughts on that? I know, you know.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah, well, you know, it's. It's a tricky dance, right, because you need that CO2 to release from your house. And we all know that keeping our windows closed, this, even without that the CO2 levels in a house can get really high. So I don't know. There's really no perfect solution, is what I'm telling you. And all you can do is just a little bit of everything.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Right.

[Suchin Pak]

So on the days that you're maybe not in or again, not a doctor, these are things that we practice in our home.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

I would.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

What auntie would say, like, for. For Sujin and Santa Barbara. Go ahead and let that air out right now for auntie in Los Angeles for this week. We can have. Keep those windows closed. Try not to light candles, incense with your windows closed. It all seems. And you know, these are all things you have to factor with your situation. You know, vacuuming hard, like these factors.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Cooking with gas hard. But we all have to figure out, you know, what is. You know, all these things are complicated, but that there is a. A need to be mindful and to take care of your bodies.

[Gloria Rivera]

Please take care of your bodies.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. And we. And we're speaking from the other side.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

What. What do you mean we're dead. Are we doing this from heaven?

[Suchin Pak]

Well, I mean, I always say that. I don't know why you find that shocking. Every time I bring that up, I speak from the grave and from the coffin on the other side. The body keeps the score.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Ah, yes.

[Suchin Pak]

All you youngins out there doing your Kundalini outside, whatever, and then you get to 50, your body says, guess what? It's time to pay. Take care of yourself while you're young, and your body can repair itself quickly. What I'm just trying to do is triage. Put the. Yeah. Put the electrodes on the arteries to get that pump in. And you don't want to do that. It's expensive. And I'd rather see you spend your money on vacations and fine leather goods. Not on this.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Just so specific. Just so specific to let me get into some. Remove from parts. Let's do it. Wait, I kind of. I need to grab. You know, I'm home, but I still have a go bag ready to go, and I have it right to the right. I'm gonna grab a couple things that I packed and I didn't need.

[Suchin Pak]

Let's do it. She's sitting with her go bag.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

My go bag. So, you know, I have a disaster go bag, you know, just filled with various things that, you know, I update when things expire. Like it's tending to it, you know, like it's.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. We're urban farmers.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So that needs to be weeded out.

[Suchin Pak]

Separate what needs, you know, what needs more tending to? Oh, yeah. And any new technology, my goodness. Technology changes so fast.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

That's true, that's true.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

So what was going around like on Instagram was like, you know, the six Ps pack the six Ps and so that six Ps are people, pets, papers, which is of course, your important documents.

[Suchin Pak]

Yep.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Your prescriptions, photos and like plastic, which means your credit cards, payment.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Your ID and stuff.

[Suchin Pak]

Got it.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Basically your passports or whatever. And like, I think I, I didn't pack one single photo. I have my phone. And what I omitted for photos was protection. And it's. That's a very kind of thing that I do is sometimes like, I'm very.

[Suchin Pak]

Like, you're seven piece.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I'm seven piece.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Like, this is an incomplete pee. And by the way, I have eight. I mean, where are the pads, baby?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Where are the boys pads, by the way?

[Suchin Pak]

Oh, you think you're, you're, you're evacuating and you're in a 14 hour traffic jam.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

What, what are you gonna do? What, are you gonna thank your sweet auntie that the eighth P is in your bag?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, you're right.

[Suchin Pak]

Hopefully in your pants.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

The amount of just like the simulations and scenarios that are, like, running in our brains, it's just so wild.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. My car, my. What do you call that in the car? The.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

The glove compartment.

[Suchin Pak]

The glove compartment. That's an opportunity. Oh, my God, it's filled with so much.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Okay, can I say. Let me guess, let me guess.

[Suchin Pak]

You want the tip of the list?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah. Okay, let me just attempt. Yeah, let me attempt. Okay. Poise pads.

[Suchin Pak]

Duh. In many, by the way, in many different soaks, as we like to call them here. Small soak, mid soak, heavy soak, you never know because you can't, you can't put that many heavy soaks in a glove compartment. You can't fit that. Not even. You can't. Not even in a tiny house. So unfortunately, you just gotta think about, what are we talking about? Two weeks in the car, on the run.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

All right, because you're calling it soaks, but like, I just want to. I mean, you're talking about the capacity for it to hold water, but when.

[Suchin Pak]

You say so, everyone knows.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

No, it makes it sound like they're already been used.

[Suchin Pak]

I mean, I'm not a psychopath. They're in a pouch. Wow. Really? That would be really. Now what I consider a pouch and what a zoo.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Pouches may be different because I, I was gonna say I assumed it was like a stew in there. Like it was a soup, as you like.

[Suchin Pak]

Oh, it's a soup. But those are in a pouch.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Okay. So other things I want to say is like 100. You have packaged snacks in there, but also you have your homemade sort of mix in there as well. Yes or no?

[Suchin Pak]

I don't have homemade mix because you know, it gets hot in there. But yes, I have snacks in there.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Okay, one strike. One strike against me. We're going to have three strikes before. Okay. You have cosmetics that you forgot to bring into your house.

[Suchin Pak]

We call those cc's, you know, that is car cosmetics. What does that include?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Lip balm?

[Suchin Pak]

It includes some sunblock, of course. And it includes just a small moisturizer.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Amazing. Yeah, that makes sense.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah, that's all you need.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Then you also have like, of course you have hand sanitizer.

[Suchin Pak]

Absolutely.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Both spray and gel and some sort of wipe situation.

[Suchin Pak]

So many wipes. And by the way, wipes from, from restaurants, from. I mean if you're a restaurant with the wipes. Yeah. Situation. And I come in there.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

I'm not even looking back.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I'm like, you're not even eating ribs.

[Suchin Pak]

You're like, I've got our groove back. I am lighting it on fire. And by the way, I have wet wipes that people market for other regions. I don't care. Use it on my face, use it on a table. It's wet. It's a wipe.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, you go ahead, call it, dude wipes. I'm still gonna use it.

[Suchin Pak]

I'm gonna use it to wipe my kids hands. Yeah, that's what I wipe down it, in and out, you know, tabletop, outside bird and ketchup. I don't care if it's for your armpits or your balls. Yeah. Or your meat pits. I don't give a shit.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Meat pits.

[Suchin Pak]

You know what I'm talking about?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, I do.

[Suchin Pak]

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[Gloria Rivera]

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[Suchin Pak]

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[Kulap Vilaysak]

But back to things that I didn't need in my go bag.

[Suchin Pak]

Yes.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

You know, but I kind of still.

[Gloria Rivera]

You know what, though?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I kind of still stand by now. Let me just tell you what they are. Look at this. Massive, huge, huge Mag.

[Suchin Pak]

Light.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Mag. A police level.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Giant weapon.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Flash.

[Suchin Pak]

Wait, is it just a flashlight?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah. And it.

[Suchin Pak]

Is it take battery? Is it rechargeable?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It's. It's both of those things. It can do both. And it. It has many different features. I got it at a white elephant this year, and I was so happy to get it.

[Suchin Pak]

Does it, like, strobe?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah, it does all those things.

[Suchin Pak]

See why this is. This is good.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It is good. And also it's like, oh, my gosh, if anyone tried to with me.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I could bludgeon them.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And. And a warning.

[Suchin Pak]

And that was a 7P. Yeah. Production.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And so that makes. Makes so, so, so much sense. And then while I was packing, I was like, looking around, I'm like, am I missing anything? And I was like, yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Gloria Rivera]

You know what?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I know everyone's gonna laugh at me, and I laugh at myself, too, but I just brought my machete. That's right.

[Suchin Pak]

I think people are like, my machete.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Oh, yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

As if people had their own machetes to relate to. Does that machete come with a sleeve?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

That's right.

[Suchin Pak]

Okay, thank you. A sheath.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Sheath. It's by the brand SOG S O G. And. And. And it's called Jungle Primitive.

[Suchin Pak]

Okay. To cut down poison oak.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I think just stick with. To cut down. Let's just stick to cut down. That's my concerns aren't the poison oak and your white variety.

[Suchin Pak]

He's gonna find this go bag. And this is. Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

There's nothing like putting this in the hotel safe. And so the. I, you know, and I also, I, I did also, you know, I brought my Just one pocket knife. Just one pocket knife. And I did use that pocket knife to cut the tags out of the target goods I got for Emmy because of course we, we stayed longer than I packed for.

[Suchin Pak]

What a warrior.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I mean, like wild Crocodile Dundee in the city.

[Suchin Pak]

Maybe your seventh p is price tag.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

There you go.

[Suchin Pak]

You got to cut those price tags when you for your target buys because you didn't pack enough.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Seriously. Okay, so all jokes aside, I, I, the other thing that I am removing from cart is price gouging. Switching, switching a hard right that, I.

[Suchin Pak]

Mean, that has to be illegal.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It is illegal. Legal.

[Suchin Pak]

It is. You okay, good. Because I was like, there's no way that this is legal.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

No. The state of California declared a state of emergency in LA and Ventura counties on January 7th due to the, the fires and the windstorm conditions. So price gouging for goods and services, and this includes rental housing, is prohibited during and shortly after a declared state of emergency. And the law states that landlords generally cannot increase rent prices more than 10% above what they were charging or advertising before the state of emergency. People are, are, are making sport of this. They're going on Zillow. I know friends of mine who are just great, this is how I'm going to help. They're saving and reporting every person who has increased their rent more than 10%. And what I've seen is just, it's, it's disgusting, it's morally wrong. And also it's illegal. And so remove from cart that and just know that people are, are 100% watching and hunting. Hunting for this type of behavior.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I'm highlighting renting because, you know, as people are looking, these are the hard facts about living in Los Angeles. We don't have enough housing. So now we've removed. We already didn't have enough housing. And now a lot of people are displaced and are going to need places to live. And if you're raising rent astronomically, you're.

[Suchin Pak]

A piece of shit. Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And, and that sort of vitriol is inclusive to people who will raise money on like, bottled water, medical supplies, any sort of temporary lodging, generators, emergency supplies, transportation. Now's not the time to make more money. Like, it's just not. That's. Stop. Stop it.

[Suchin Pak]

She's got a machete.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I've got a machete. I've got a machete. And I'm a little price tags to Cut very clear.

[Suchin Pak]

We're to cut price.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I'm a little unwell and, and dysregulated. I've decided to go down to two sessions therapists a month. I. That started yesterday. And so we're, we're, you know, we're just. Everything's fluid, you know what I'm saying? And it's tough, it's tough to be a fluid being with a machete.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Let's take care of each other.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Let's take care of each other.

[Suchin Pak]

Let's take care of each other.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Governor Newsom also added to this recently building supplies. And I think that's really important because as people rebuild.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

And I hope they can. I hope they can. Because the real looting, the real looting will be when people can't. And the developers come in and they make a bunch of big mansions where there once was a lot of history.

[Suchin Pak]

And again, how can we allow that to be legal.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Capitalism.

[Suchin Pak]

But I hope that there is enough awareness. Listen, there, there's been a history and Altadena, we're going to talk about it in a psych. There's been a history of fighting back of a kind of a community awareness. And that stuff works.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

That's not just rhetoric. It works. And Altadena, as, as Coolop said, is a working class, heavily retired population. It's incredibly diverse. I think la, at least my experience of it. There are lots of parts of LA where LA is very diverse. We all know that. But it can feel like we live in these small bubbles.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

Where it does, those bubbles don't feel diverse. And that's the truth. But Altadena isn't one of those places. You know, it's one of those places that, as Kulab said, historically during the civil rights era, it was one of the very few areas in LA to be exempt from redlining, which gave African Americans the opportunity to own a home versus anywhere else in the state and possibly in the country. And so starting from that point, when I talk about these families that these houses have been in for four or five generations and how these communities are able to be resilient and build generational wealth where that was illegal, you know, let alone not possible, but actually written out of law for them, for them to lose these homes in these communities. You know, I was reading about how there was a huge mosque and a synagogue just miles apart from each other. Both have been there for 80 plus years, burned down to the ground. I mean, these are, these are communities that are incredibly diverse. I read this fact and I was shocked. People Bought homes and kept them for generations. Today, the black home ownership rate in Altadena exceeds 80%, almost double the national rate. And many of these homes are burned down in the fire. So, you know, that's Altadena and I, and I know you speak of. There's a lot of talk online about the privilege and the white privilege of. And the glee in which some people are celebrating what's happening to Los Angeles. And this is not the truth. I don't know if we can post this picture. Do you see this picture? I have. It is a picture in the. I put it in our Google Doc of the Andrew Jackson school. It was like, what year is this? I can't even see. 1960. I mean, look at this class. I mean, in 1960, for a school to look like this anywhere in America.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

You've got Asian.

[Suchin Pak]

I've never seen it.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Black, white, Latino faces is a very.

[Suchin Pak]

So I mean, I really want to post this. This picture kind of drove it home for me. KU and I talked about a lot of our friends again, to be honest, you know, can rebuild and will rebuild, but the vast majority of people who've lost their homes, especially in that Altadena area, are senior citizens and retired folks where that was their entire plan and they're not going to be able to recoup that.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I don't know. You know, I don't know. I don't know. Some. Some, yes, that we're friends, some I don't. I don't know. Like, it depends on how, how this is going to play out with FEMA and with insurance here. Like it all, there's so many factors, but, you know, it's hard to say, it's hard to say what the shape of this is going to be in.

[Suchin Pak]

A year, two years, three years, and who gets left behind. Yeah, I always think about that, you know, like in these national, you know, global disasters, you know, there's that first, like, let's get through it and everybody's in there and then, you know, we move on so fast and who gets left behind? What do we do, like you said, to create ongoing support.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I think it's so important to talk about that. That ongoing situation is that so many times the attention's here now and then it shifts because there's another tragedy, there's another crisis, there's another. I mean, this is the beginning of the year and it feels like, you know, at the time of the recording, it's January 14th is. It feels like it, you know. Yeah, we're mid month in January. Of this year and what's to come to this year? We don't know.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I guess I just want to speak that out loud. I don't blame us with the way that media and the way that we want to move on, but sometimes what happens is that, you know, those who need don't get what they need before we've moved on. I just want to call it out. I'm not. I'm saying this for myself too.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah. And I think that that's why speaking it and keeping its presence alive is. I mean, that's important work. That none of, none of the rest of it happens unless we all continue to be aware and, and spread it in our group chats and in our conversations and whatever we hear about and connect in that way. You know, I talk about my dear friend, third Auntie, you know, Carol. She's right there in the middle of it, or her parents. House. Her house. And I talked to her this morning again to check in on her and she was like, yeah, you know, what we're trying to do is figure out, I want to help. I thought this was such a great idea. I want to help become, like, trained in helping people apply for all these FEMA grants. Because it's just going to be a mountain of paperwork. Think about all the communities that don't speak English, all the senior citizens that, you know and that can't figure this out and how complicated it's going to be to get these people these, you know, grants and all of this aid. And I was like, that's the kind of work that, like, that's the silent work that makes or breaks the. Who gets left behind.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

So I just thought that was a. That's incredibly. Yeah. Helpful thing that we can continue to push. And, and I, and I will keep our Carters updated on how. And if they want to do that. Because you could do that. You don't, you know, you can spend a few hours a week just helping people get through this paperwork that's about to, you know, be their lives in a few weeks as, as the fires die down and as all this money starts to be distributed to make sure that the people who really, really need it are first in line. You know, right now it's like, all about the, you know, the, the beauty of it coming together. But how do we extend that?

[Kulap Vilaysak]

We have to sustain it.

[Suchin Pak]

Yes. And so that. So that we continue to help those most in need. So anyway, I agree with you. I, you know, we're all guilty of it. Okay. So, you know, we we're going to share a lot of these links in our show notes places where you can support and there's so many. This is not exhaustive or even going to be long. As these links come up, it'll lead you to another place and whatever speaks to you, please, your time, your stuff, your money if you can. I, I thought this Google Doc that was being circulated was very interesting and I, and I want to put that up and it's really basically an ongoing list of families who've lost everything and what they need and what's already been donated and it gets updated and there these are just families. I, I was kind of digging around and I saw this great organization, Altadena Girls.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

They're posting about what they need specifically for teenage girls and students in the community that have lost everything they had. When I think last week where a post I saw where girls could come and quote unquote shop.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Yeah.

[Suchin Pak]

You know, at their, at their location and you know all the things that people have donated and so just to bring a sense of normalcy.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It was started by a 14 year old girl. It's really, I mean again, you gotta check it out.

[Suchin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

It's fantastic. And from that success I think they've started. I don't know if it was the same people but Altadena boys. To make sure that the boys also get some attention and their needs met as well, GoFundMe has set up a nonprofit relief fund which directly provides cash to those impacted by the wildfires. You can also donate to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Department foundation and the California Fire Foundation. And we're going to make sure and do our best to just as things come up and places that we've vetted, we will share on our social media and we'll talk about as well. So Carters, take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. We love you.

[Suchin Pak]

We love you.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

I hope you're safe and I hope you're secure. There's more.

[Suchin Pak]

Add to Cart with Lemonade. Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content like where we tell you about the last item we bought or returned and why subscribe now and Apple Podcasts.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Add to Cart is a production of Lemon on Media. Our producers are Keegan Zema and Tiffany Bui. Brian Castillo is our engineer.

[Suchin Pak]

Theme music is by Wasabi and produced by LA Made it and oh so Familiar with additional music by APM Music. Executive producers are Kulap Vilaisak, Suchin Pak, Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Whittles. Wax.

[Kulap Vilaysak]

Be sure to check out all the items we mentioned today on our Instagram D2 cart pod. Follow Add to Cart wherever you get your podcasts or listen ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership.

[Unknown]

This message is sponsored by Cologuard because of my own health journey, increasing awareness around the importance of colon cancer screening is a mission close to my heart and One common misconception about screening for colon cancer is that you should start at age 50. But in actuality, if you're at average risk, the recommended age to start screening is 45 and a great use at home option to screen for colon cancer is with the Cologuard Test. The Cologuard test is a non invasive, effective and affordable prescription based use at home colon cancer screening test that looks for both abnormal DNA and blood in your stool. What I really love about the Cologuard test is that it gives the option to screen your way on your time with no need to take time off of work for prep or procedures even if you don't have any symptoms. It is so important to test beginning at 45 because many patients with early stage colon cancer have no symptoms at all and are diagnosed through screening with zero downtime, no special preparation and a use at home screening test that's delivered right to your door. What more are you waiting for? So if you're 45 or older and at average risk, ask your healthcare provider about screening for colon cancer with the Cologuard test. You can also request a Cologuard prescription [e-mail] podcast. Do not use the Cologuard Test. If you've had adenomas, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or a personal or family history of colorectal cancer, false positive and negative results may occur. Any positive result should be followed by a colonoscopy, not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. The Cologuard test is available by prescription only.

Hi everyone, Gloria Rivera here and we are back for another season of no One Is Coming to Save Us, a podcast about America's childcare crisis. This season we're delving deep into five critical issues facing our country through the lens of child care, poverty, mental health, housing, climate change and the public school system. By exploring these connections, we aim to highlight that childcare is not an isolated issue, but one that influences all facets of American life. Season four of no One Is Coming to Save Us is out now. Wherever you get your podcasts.