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FEATURING OMAR LEON - BACKGROUND: The Pasadena Community Job Center, established by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) 25 years ago, was poised to move into action when the Eaton Fire devastated the tight-knit community of Altadena and north Pasadena. The Job Center is located just a few miles south of the epicenter of the fires, and hosts migrant workers who lost homes, or lost jobs in homes that were destroyed. 

The main function of the Job Center has been to link employers to workers to ensure safety, fair wages, and high work standards. The day after the fires, organizers sprang into action and put together “fire relief brigades” comprising of volunteers from the community and day laborers, who organized clean-ups of streets, backyards, and sidewalks, clearing debris, ash, and waste. The Job Center, meanwhile, was turned into a mutual aid donation hub. 

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