January 13, 2025

I used to live in Los Angeles, at times in the city and other times in suburbs.  When I was in college, we would drive into Los Angeles for shopping or visiting the world's best chili hot dog stand.  After college, for a while I worked in Santa Monica and would drive down the 405 and then west on Sunset Blvd to get to the office.  Years and years later, we lived in LA and then in Ventura County.  We would drive Pacific Coast Hwy back and forth to visit friends or hang on the beach or go to Getty Center Museum and Getty Villa (in Pacific Palisades).

These fires that are raging in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas right now are tugging at my heart.  Last month in the Mountain Fire, our friends lost their beautiful home where we go to watch Fourth of July fireworks.  During the years we lived in Camarillo (Ventura County), we were evacuated two times from our home due to fires, one of which burned to about two hundred yards of our house.

destroyed vehicles in the parking lot above our neighborhood

This is why I am following the fires happening now in  LA.  I have read that Getty Villa and Getty Museum are safe at this point.  These two museums were our favorites to visit.  Staff at Getty Museum are stating that the buildings are safe and were built to withstand fires.  You can see how carefully and strategically they were designed.

I am very concerned for my friends who live in LA and Ventura Counties and am keeping in touch with them.  People are more important than buildings and art, but I do hope that the care and planning that the Getty Foundation did to protect its buildings will keep them safe.