Support Our Neighbors Ali and Jason

Ali Pearl and Jason Ezzy are among the thousands displaced by the Eaton Canyon fire in Altadena. They are loyal and generous neighbors, teachers, and friends. Their home and their belongings were destroyed in the fire.

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Hello, I'm Ava, a student in Los Angeles. My freshman year of college, I took a mandatory writing course with the theme "Roots"; Ali taught this class. She taught me a lot about loving Los Angeles, and by example, taught me about being a good neighbor.

Ali works passionately (and tirelessly) for her union, her community, and her family. She spent 2024 organizing within our University and community: teaching and listening and so much more. Jason, who is about to enter his final semester in his Physical Therapy doctorate program, is a gentle and generous body worker. He cooked vibrant, nourishing, and delicious meals for everyone who came through their home. His work is to help people heal. Jason and Ali married in November and have been spending their time and their earnings literally planting roots and starting a family at their home in Altadena.

On Tuesday, when the fires began in Eaton Canyon, I thought of the garden Ali had told me they'd planted, the home which she had described was a dream to buy. She posted to her community on Wednesday afternoon that they had lost their home and everything in it.

Ali and Jason's story is unfortunately one of many that will come from the rubble of these fires, but as stewards of their community and believers in the power of mutual aid, I ask that we come together to support Jason and Ali in reviving the roots they put down in Altadena.