The much ballyhooed Fire Aid concert in January, featuring artists from Billie Eilish to Joni Mitchell to No Doubt, raised $100 million to help assist people in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades Fires. Over the summer, the organizers came under a lot of scrutiny by some residents — and even President Donald Trump — who all questioned how the money was spent.
August Brown covers the music industry for the Los Angeles Times and made a lot of calls, trying to track down where the Fire Aid grants went, and how they were used. He’s got some answers for the skeptics, and shares them with host Kate Cagle.Guest: Los Angeles Times Reporter August BrownAugust’s Stories:
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-30/fireaid-retains-law-firm-to-review-grants-after-trumps-misleading-criticismhttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-23/where-did-the-fireaid-money-gohttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-23/where-did-the-fireaid-money-go
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-02-18/fireaid-grants-50-million-la-wildfire-relief

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part true crime investigation from the Los Angeles Times about one of the biggest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history.

Follow Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Christopher Goffard as he uncovers how Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once hailed as a reformer, became entangled in a shocking cover-up inside the nation’s largest jail system. From FBI informants and jailhouse brutality to corruption at the highest levels, this series reveals how deputies hid an inmate, intimidated federal agents, and ultimately brought down one of California’s most powerful sheriffs.

On the morning of the Palisades Fire, streets were already gridlocked by the time the first widespread evacuation order was issued. Eventually, people were told to leave their cars behind and run, setting off a harrowing escape for many residents.For decades it was an open secret that the Pacific Palisades didn’t have enough roads out of town for people to evacuate effectively and efficiently during an emergency, and January 7th made that plain. It took over 6 hours to get everyone out.In the hope of preventing this type of situation, a state law was passed after the Camp Fire killed 85 people in Paradise, Calif., requiring cities and counties to do a detailed analysis of evacuation plans. That essentially meant outlining specific routes to take — not to take — during different scenarios, and how long it would to get everyone out of harm’s way. But so far the city has not provided evidence that it has done this, or said when it would provide it.The Los Angeles Times’ Noah Haggerty started looking into this and he joins Rebuilding LA host Kate Cagle to talk about it.

Guest: Noah Haggerty, LA Times reporter covering the environment, health, and science.

Nancy Cassaro-Fracchiolla, Pacific Palisades resident and former drama teacher at Palisades High

Noah’s Stories: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-07-31/la-councilmember-traci-park-pushes-city-to-analyze-evacuation-routeshttps://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-07-25/l-a-fire-evacuation-plans-remain-untested