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What is the long term plan LA housekeepers construction workers and gardeners see jobs go up in flames
Claire Wang in Los Angeles
Destroyed homes in Malibu California on Thursday Photograph Mario Tama Getty Images
Domestic workers and day laborers many of whom are undocumented immigrants and ineligible for US aid face unique burdens amid raging wildfires
Mayra Chacon home cleaning service Ocean Housekeeping employs Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants who arrived in the US less than six months before They clean dozens of houses around Los Angeles and every Saturday send their paychecks to loved ones back home
But as wildfires erupted earlier this month Ocean Housekeeping lost more than percent of its business overnight Fires burned down homes in the Palisades that Chacon company cleaned on a weekly basis and homes in Altadena and Pasadena Her employees speak little English and don’t know how to find work elsewhere Chacon said With the plunge in revenue she offering a percent discount to new customers so she could book more jobs to keep everyone paid
At this point Chacon said it not only my family but more families I have to look out for
The deadly wildfires that swept across LA county have scorched more than acres of land and killed people as of Friday The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than structures including multimillion dollar homes where thousands of house cleaners gardeners nannies and caregivers worked day and night to pay bills and provide for their families
Domestic workers and day laborers who are predominantly immigrants face unique burdens during wildfires because their jobs are often paid by the day and offer few social protections said Maegan Ortiz executive director of Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California IDEPSCA

A man reacts as he arrives at his burned home during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county California on January Photograph Josh Edelson AFP Getty Images
Every day that the fire is going on is a day without work Ortiz said adding that many workers are ineligible for public benefits because they are undocumented
There are more than domestic workers in LA county roughly one third of the state total workforce according to a study from UCLA The vast majority are immigrants and women of color from Latin America and the Philippines In IDESCA investigated the impact of the Woolsey fire which destroyed more than structures on domestic workers in Malibu More than half of the nearly workers surveyed reported permanently losing their jobs in the affected area Many dealt with the financial and emotional fallout of the fires for at least two years
That just one fire in one area Ortiz said Once all these fires are contained what is going to be the long term plan for essential workers
IDESCA is in regular contact with roughly domestic workers in the greater LA area Nearly half were houseless before the fires Ortiz said and that rate is likely to increase in the coming weeks Already household workers have called the organization to report job loss and there is still a backlog of calls to be processed
Amit Mohan who operates his own plumbing service lost more than percent of his business after the Palisades fire including more than worth of jobs over the next couple of weeks
Mohan said the plunge in income means he will have to pay for rent and other bills with his savings which are not flush But he more concerned about the dozens of Palisades homeowners he has become friends with over the years he worked for them He began crying as he recalled a conversation with an elderly customer who saw his house resting in ashes
It a hard pill to swallow Mohan said There are a lot more people out there that need more help than I do
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