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Life & Times Transcript
10/29/07 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- When wildfires strike, which houses burn and which stand? It's more than random luck. Ben Viloria>> In one area, I said that I owe these guys a dinner or something. After I said that, a while later, I'm thinking, "A dinner? I owe these guys thirty years of my life almost that I put into this place." Val Zavala>> And then, as fire victims begin their recovery process, will the region's economy roll with this punch from Mother Nature? It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> About thirty-five fires ravaged southern California last week, stretching to capacity our firefighting capability. And in two of the cases, it was an arsonist that did the dirty work and it was arson that hit the community of Modjeska Canyon which lies east of the old El Toro Marine Base. It's a rustic community of about two hundred homes and now fourteen of them are in ashes. Sam Louie went to this tight-knit neighborhood to find out how they're coping. Sam Louie>> Inexplicably in fires like these, some houses are spared. Jeff and Tammy Davis have lived near the very top of Modjeska Grade Road for twenty years. The two retired police officers are playing it safe, watering down what's left of their barn and garage. Burned-out homes are all around them, but somehow their place was spared. When you returned, did you know if your house was still standing? Tammy Davis: No. I actually was watching a news broadcast and they panned a shot talking about Modjeska Grade Road. At the highest point is where our house is and I saw black smoke coming from it and I told my husband that our house is on fire. So he decided to come up and get in here and take a look and see exactly what was burning. It turned out to be our barn, which is new, and our garage. Thankfully, it didn't get the house. Sam Louie>> The only damage? Scorching under the eaves. Jeff has a theory about why it didn't burn. You had mentioned the house may have been saved because of the new window panes? Jeff Davis: Because they were double-paned windows. That might have helped because the outer pane of glass broke out of all the windows, but the inners are pretty much intact, so that would have kept any embers and sparks from flying in. Sam Louie>> And you'd recently put those -- Jeff Davis: -- yes. In fact -- Tammy Davis: -- three days before the fire started, we put the last one in on this side of the house. Sam Louie>> But even though their house was saved, the couple is heartsick for neighbors who weren't as fortunate. Tammy Davis: It’s a time to pull together and be with your family. I'm sorry. Sam Louie>> Do you understand that an arsonist may have been involved? Jeff Davis>> Everyone I've talked to, even people that don't live here, they pretty much want to find him, catch him and turn him over to the people that live here and let us take care of him (laughter). But we hope he's caught and possibly never sees the light of day again. Sam Louie>> Station 16 in Modjeska Canyon was the second unit on the scene at the fire. Bruce Newell>> I can't explain why some of these houses did not burn. I mean, the fire has been all the way around the house and the house has no particular fire-proof capabilities and the house is standing there slightly toasted, but there. House after house, you can see that. Sam Louie>> Another one of those houses belongs to carpenter Ben Viloria. He built this place himself twenty-seven years ago. As the fire started getting closer, his neighbor, a fireman, insisted it was too dangerous for Ben to stay. Ben Viloria>> A three hundred yard stretch blew up in ninety seconds from being, you know, a grove of trees with leaves to sticks sticking out of the ground. He said, after the ninety seconds, you could actually walk across the street and there was no flames. They were just poof. Sam Louie>> Viloria, who lives about a half mile away from the Davis's, thinks he also did something that made a difference, putting sprinklers on the roof. Ben Viloria>> You can see that I got the Rainbirds on the corners here, one there and one there. There's four of them up there. Sam Louie>> When you say Rainbirds, those are the sprinkler heads? Ben Viloria>> Yeah. It's controlled by a ball valve, so I can just turn them on and it pretty much gets everything wet, which I'm pretty sure saved the thing. Sam Louie>> Officer Newell says that the fire has now, oddly enough, left the area protected. Bruce Newell>> Our canyon has now been burned all the way around, so we're not going to get hit from the outside. There's still a lot of smoldering stumps and pieces of fire left around behind, so what we're doing is just going around constantly and patrolling the fire and putting out little smokes in sight. We're now an island inside the fire and we just want to protect our island. Ben Viloria>> When Alan, my neighbor, was walking out, I asked Alan, "Do I got a house?" Alan just got this huge grin on his face. He didn't even say a word, but when he got that smile, I knew that the house was still there. I really couldn't believe it. I mean, I pretty much sat at the corner during all that. At one point, I was just sobbing. I mean, all the years of work you put in and it kind of hit me, you know, that it might be all just down the tubes in sixty seconds. Sam Louie>> Authorities are determined to find the person who deliberately set the Santiago Canyon fire. Herb Brown>> "The FBI will bring to bear all its national resources with ATF, the Orange County Fire Authority, as well as the Orange County Sheriff's Department, to make sure that we track, apprehend and put this person or persons behind bars where they belong." Sam Louie>> But investigators know all too well how quickly an arson trail can go cold. As the reward continues to grow, Ben Viloria is thinking about a different kind of reward for the people who saved his home. Ben Viloria>> In one area, I said I owe these guys a dinner or something. After I said, a while later, I'm thinking, "A dinner? I owe these guys thirty years of my life almost that I've put into this place." It's deep in my soul, all these hours I spent putting in this because I pretty much did it with my own hands. The gratitude is deeper than you could even express. Sam Louie>> I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> Here's the latest on the wildfires. Overall, weather is cooperating and no new fires have broken out. The Santiago fire we just reported on is stabilized and close to full containment. Residents of Modjeska Canyon and other nearby canyons were allowed back to their homes today. Hundreds of homes are still threatened in Orange County's Silverado Canyon and evacuation orders remain in effect. And in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Slide and Grass Valley fires are more than ninety percent contained. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> So what kind of impact will the fires have on our economy? Well, in the short run, they disrupted business and tourism, but in the long run, the firestorms may actually boost our economy. Hena Cuevas got an analysis from a prominent southern California economist. Hena Cuevas>> Jack Kyser is the Chief Economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. He says that the impact of these wildfires on the California economy won't be felt immediately. Overall, the California economy is pretty strong, but how do these fires that seem to come back to back to back end up affecting it? Jack Kyser>> Well, what you see is any time we have a major disaster like fires or an earthquake, actually it gives a little bit of a boost to your economy because people come in from outside. Insurance companies, federal government agency staff, and then you have the money flowing into the economy. So it doesn't turn the economy down. It actually gives it a little bit of a boost. The California economy right now is sort of moving at a slow pace because we have the housing issue. The sub-prime lenders, a lot of those in southern California, they've laid people off. So basically we're just sort of moving sideways. You may see a little upward blip in 2008, but there's a lot of other things that are out there that worry us. Hena Cuevas>> So it's one of those that, in the short-term, there is a loss, but in the long-term, it actually is beneficial? Jack Kyser>> Right. We looked at Los Angeles County, the 1994 earthquake. Our building at the time hadn't been inspected. Remember, you had the red tag, yellow tag, green tag. I was working out of the house and some east coast media person called and said, "Well, this is the end of Los Angeles, isn't it?" You have to say no. Actually, what happened is the 1994 earthquake sort of helped turn the southern California economy around because all the flood of money needed for repairs, you had the freeway construction, yeah, it helped. Hena Cuevas>> He says one industry that will see a boost is construction. All the destroyed homes and businesses have to be rebuilt. Home construction is an area that's been suffering due to the crisis in the lending business. It's now harder for people to get a loan and many are facing foreclosure. Jack Kyser>> This is going to be beneficial for the construction industry because construction employment is down, so you have the rebuilding of the homes. It's not going to be enough to really lift construction out of its funk, but it's going to be some jobs for the people in construction, the people that supply the materials, the equipment and, don't forget, the furniture industry which has also been struggling. People literally have to rebuild their lives, so there's a lot of sales that are going to be made. The question, though, is insurance. The insurance companies are getting much picky about what they will insure and this is a major question for the areas that have been hit by fire. Hena Cuevas>> How difficult is this for the state of California because there was an insurance company that actually bailed and left the state? Jack Kyser>> It's going to be somewhat difficult. We have to see what the insurance companies do. If you go to the east coast, insurance companies are going in and saying, "How prone are you to damage from a hurricane?" This is happening in areas that are hidden away from the Atlantic Ocean. So they're going to get much more picky about what they will insure. People that want to live in the mountains, they will find that insurance costs a lot for them, maybe no insurance at all. That's a major issue. Hena Cuevas>> Talking about the mortgage industry, how does this affect it? People who maybe were facing foreclosure, people who can't get loans, it's becoming harder to actually get a loan. Is this going to be difficult when it comes times to rebuild the house? Jack Kyser>> This is going to be very interesting to see. If you lost your home due to the fire and you were possibly in what you call the default process, the first step leading to foreclosure, in a way this may be a benefit for you because you would what the insured value was and then you don't rebuild. You have the land and you try to sell the land, so that is a significant little twist out there. Hena Cuevas>> Agriculture is another area that's been affected. Many crops burned or were lost from lack of water and care as farm personnel had to be evacuated. Jack Kyser>> It's going to be tough for the people who lost the avocado groves. You don't grow an avocado tree overnight. They've been facing competition imports from Mexico, so what do they do? Do they say, okay, we're just going to throw in the towel, or do they replant the groves and use a lot of fertilizer to get those trees to grow quickly? But other sectors of agriculture were impacted too. So it's going to be tough for the ag industry. You look at all the industries that have been impacted. Agriculture, manufacturing, R&D, tourism, it has a lot of ramifications. Hena Cuevas>> When we talk about the economic impact of the fires, we're referring to more than just the loss of the structures. Where else does it affect it? Jack Kyser>> There's a lot array of things that you have to consider. First of all, of course, we've unfortunately had people lose their lives and that's very, very tragic. But we've actually made a list. You have loss of structures, peoples' homes, but also there's a lot of other business structures, possibly some other structures lost, we really don't know. And then you have things like business interruptions. For example, the theme parks down in San Diego County have been shut down because nobody wants to come out. People not at work because they have to be at their home or maybe they're helping friends and relatives. Then you have other things going on like location aspects. After the fire is out, Lake Arrowhead. They've had a lot of fires in the past. Every time there's a fire, they have to struggle to get people to think about going back up to Lake Arrowhead. The city of Avalon in Catalina had the same issue. A lot of people said, "Oh, no, everything is burned, so there's no reason to go there." There's just many pieces to factor in. Hena Cuevas>> The situation in Avalon happened a few months ago, so you're talking about how the effects will not be felt immediately, but further down the road? Jack Kyser>> Right. I went to Avalon in July and everybody said, "Oh, why did you go there? It's all messed up, isn't it?" No, you come into the Avalon harbor on the boat and it just looks like it always has. But this is the perceptions that people have. Hena Cuevas>> In your experience, in previous disasters including riots and fires and earthquakes, how has that industry rebounded? Jack Kyser>> It takes a while depending on what the issue is. Peoples' memories are short when it comes to things like, say, earthquakes, fires. The riot was a little bit more difficult to overcome because the riot was in many areas around Los Angeles County. It's very situation-specific as to what happens and then how do you craft your message? This is a real problem for us. How do craft the message about what you need to do, come back to southern California, that type of thing. Hena Cuevas>> What are some of the things that can be done in order to encourage people to come back? Jack Kyser>> Well, you're probably going to see a pretty aggressive advertising campaign on the part of San Diego. They have been doing extremely well, so they got to pick up the momentum. In the case of, say, Lake Arrowhead, it's a smaller destination, so are the going to have the money to get out there and communicate? The state has money for tourism advertising and maybe they could do some specific campaigns targeted in southern California to let people know that we are still open for business. Please come and see us. Hena Cuevas>> Jack Kyser from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, thank you very much for sharing this information with us. Jack Kyser>> My pleasure. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> Halloween is not just about costumes and candy. In the Latino community, the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, just wouldn't be the same without a certain kind of bread. Well, I wanted to find out what this Day of the Dead bread was all about, so I went to one of the oldest and best-known bakeries in East Los Angeles. It's called Mascota, named after a small town in Mexico. The bakery was started back in 1953 by this man's father. Today the hard-working and friendly owner, Ed Salcedo, keeps this operation running smoothly. At this time of year, they'll sell hundreds of these, skull-shaped breads and spider rolls called poblanos. Each one is hand-made and I got a personal demonstration from Ed himself. Ed Salcedo>> Okay, you turn it on and then you mix it. See? It's already set. Val Zavala>> How long does it have to go on like this? Ed Salcedo>> It takes about half an hour mixing to incorporate like this. Val Zavala>> Wow. Do you ever get your hand caught in there? Ed Salcedo>> (Laughter) No. Val Zavala>> Wow. Did you ever see that movie, "The Blob"? Did you ever see that? That's what this reminds me of (laughter). [Film Clip] Ed Salcedo>> That's a small and that's a medium. Val Zavala>> Close enough. And you do it the old-fashioned way? Ed Salcedo>> Mexican bakeries do not have automation. Val Zavala>> So it's still measured out by hand? Ed Salcedo>> Oh, yeah. Val Zavala>> Okay. Then what do you do? Ed Salcedo>> Okay. Then we get the dough and it practically shapes it all by itself. Val Zavala>> Oh, it's like an automatic rolling pin. Ed Salcedo>> Uh-huh. That way, you don't have to be rolling it with a pin or anything. Val Zavala>> The name of Mascota comes from a small town in Mexico where Ed's father was born. There's a poster of Mascota near the bakery's front doors. Ed Salcedo>> I remember when I was a little boy, the boys walked one way and the girls walked another way. Val Zavala>> Oh, in the plaza. Ed Salcedo>> Yeah. And then the orchestra played here. It was really, really nice. Val Salcedo>> Okay, back to our baking. Ed Salcedo>> So we shape it what we want to make it into. So we'll shape the eyes, nose and mouth. So we just get it. Val Zavala>> This is going to be a skull? Ed Salcedo>> The skull head, yeah. Val Zavala>> Skull head. How do you say skull in Spanish? Ed Salcedo>> Calavera. This one is the body. Then we make the head and then we make the body. Val Zavala>> How old were you when you made your first one? Ed Salcedo>> Oh, I was eight years old. I used to come with my dad. Val Zavala>> Eight? You've been doing this since you were eight? Ed Salcedo>> Oh, yeah. Val Zavala>> Oh, his arms are folded like he's in a coffin or something? Ed Salcedo>> Right. Val Zavala>> Ed's father came to the United States when he was only eighteen. He seemed to have been born with an entrepreneurial spirit. Ed Salcedo>> Because he was an orphan at eleven years old, so he went from town to town. Then when he was eighteen, he wanted to come to the United States because of the wars that were over there. He legalized himself over here when he was eighteen years old and, in 1953, he founded the bakery. Val Zavala>> Today, Ed has children of his own, but baking is not in their futures. Ed says they all have careers of their own, so it's up to him and other family members to keep the shelves stocked and the orders filled. The bodies and skulls are accompanied by a third popular item: spiders. Ed Salcedo>> Then we make these round like that and we cut this into five pieces. Val Zavala>> Five pieces. Ed Salcedo>> Okay. Then what you do is you shape it with your fingers. Val Zavala>> These are spiders or spider webs? Ed Salcedo>> Well, really this is what they call the poblanas. Val Zavala>> Poblanas. What does that mean? Ed Salcedo>> Well, it's a bread that they eat all the time. This is the decoration that you use for the second of November. Val Zavala>> That's a spider. Ed Salcedo>> That's a spider on top of something. Do you want to try one? Val Zavala>> Yeah. I just go like this? Ed Salcedo>> Like this, and then you -- Val Zavala>> -- I have to make it longer first. Ed Salcedo>> And then in the middle, you make one. Val Zavala>> I go like that -- oops. Ed Salcedo>> Then you put -- Val Zavala>> -- how come yours got -- mine's too flat. Ed Salcedo>> You have to put your fingers into it or else you won't -- Val Zavala>> -- got it. I see -- oh! Ed Salcedo>> Looks easy, huh? Val Zavala>> Darn it. Mine keeps shrinking back. Use your fingers to stretch it out and dig in, right? Oh, my spider got amputated (laughter). Oh, well. Then it's into an oven big enough to walk in. It can hold thirty trays at a time and, in about ten minutes, voila. Ed Salcedo>> If it bounces back up, that means it's done. If it flattens down, then it's not done. Val Zavala>> So they're done, right? Oh, no. Still a couple of steps to go and it involves calories. This is just sugar water? Ed Salcedo>> Yes, with cinnamon. Val Zavala>> With cinnamon, okay. It's purely flavor or does it help keep the bread fresh? Ed Salcedo>> No, no, no. The whole flavor is cinnamon. We grind our own cinnamon. Val Zavala>> You grind your own cinnamon? Ed Salcedo>> Oh, yeah. Stick your palm out. Val Zavala>> Oh, that's good. Holy cow! More sugar? Ed Salcedo>> Oh, yeah. Val Zavala>> You're right. This is not for dieters. Forget it. If you're on the Atkins Diet, forget it. (Laughter) That looks like a snowman. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> When I asked Ed Salcedo how many of these he would make for Day of the Dead, he didn't have an answer. Basically, too many to count. Ed Salcedo>> And then we'll really make them -- Val Zavala>> -- because you don't have enough sugar, you're going to add a little more sugar, right? Ed Salcedo>> Right, make a bloody mess out of it. Val Zavala>> What do they say in Spanish? Hecho? Ed Salcedo>> Hecho. Val Zavala>> Hecho. Done. Finally, they're ready for the familiar pink boxes. So this Halloween, forget the sugar. Go for the carbs. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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