This webinar is hosted by Health & Environmental Funders Network and co-sponsored by Grantmakers In Health.
Wildfires are not only environmental disasters, they are health, housing, and economic crises that magnify systemic inequities in frontline communities and expose deep gaps in public response, infrastructure, and policy. The people most vulnerable to displacement, pollution, and climate impacts are also those leading the charge toward just, restorative solutions. From neighborhoods downwind of wildfire burn zones, to frontline communities burdened by cumulative pollution and climate risks, LA residents are facing overlapping environmental and public health threats. Yet, they are organizing for transformation: land stewardship, public health protections, clean-up and remediation strategies, and job pathways rooted in care, not extraction.
This webinar will ground the issue of urban wildfires in LA within the broader fight for environmental justice, public health, and climate resilience. It will also illustrate the urgency and opportunity for funders to invest in intersectional, community-based strategies that address the root causes and aftermath of climate disasters—strategies that build long-term capacity, advance a restorative economy, and ensure the most impacted communities shape the future of resilience.
Speakers Include:
- Martha Dina Arguello, PSR-LA (Moderator)
- Brenda Solorzano, Cal Wellness Foundation
- Dr. Kirsten Schwarz, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
- Matthew Teutimez, Kizh Tribe; Laboratory for Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Gloria Medina, SCOPE LA
