Finally, the exhibit gives a sense of the creative process at Liebes’ weaving studios. Her bright red personal loom is on view, with a partially woven textile still on it. There are also handwoven samples exploring colors and textures, and photos of her studio teams at work.
Wendy Winter and her husband decided Tuesday evening that they should buy some cat carriers so they could evacuate their Altadena home with their felines Purry Mason and Jerry. Less than two hours later, it was clear they needed to leave. The next morning, they learned the house they lived in for more than seven years was gone along with the rest of their street.“There’s fear and loss and you just don’t even know,” she said. “You’re in shock.”
They’re hoping to find friends to foster their cats for two months while they figure out what they’re going to do next. Winter said she and her husband are disoriented, and they aren’t sure they can provide their cats an environment where they will feel safe and comfortable right now.Some people took their pets to shelters because they couldn’t evacuate with them.The Pasadena Humane Society took in 250 pets in the first day after the fires started. Los Angeles County Animal Care was looking after 97 pets — mostly cats and dogs but also pigs, a turtle, a bird, and a snake, said Christopher Valles, a department spokesperson.
Veterinarian Dr. Annie Harvilicz had been moving out of an old Animal Wellness Centers office in Marina del Rey, but inspired by her brother’s need to find a place for his pets, she turned the exam, X-ray and surgery rooms into an impromptu shelter. She quickly took in 41 dogs, cats and a bunny and soon found foster homes for all but two.She told people on Facebook to contact her if they needed a place for their animals. She expected an onslaught of pets needing refuge but instead has been inundated with people wanting to volunteer.
“I’m very proud of the people of Los Angeles and how I really feel like they’ve stepped up to the plate when it comes to helping out each other,” she said.
Some people wanted Harvilicz to take their donkeys but she wasn’t able to get a trailer to them before they had to evacuate. Difficulties transporting larger animals puts them at greater risk from wildfires, she said.For example, if a woman loses a certain amount of blood after a vaginal delivery, “we know to activate what we call here a ‘code crimson,’ which brings blood to the bedside,” Kelly said. “We can act fast and stop any potential hemorrhage.”
She said the collaborative has also helped reduce racial inequities — bringing down the rate of cesarean sections among Black moms, for example.In July, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a similar initiative to California’s, focused on the quality of maternal care nationwide: the first baseline health and safety requirements for maternal emergency and obstetric services in hospitals.
Experts said getting maternal mortality under control at a national level requires tailoring solutions to individual communities, which is easier when programs are locally run.New York City has a goal of reducing maternal mortality overall — and specifically achieving a 10% drop in Black maternal mortality by 2030. Statewide, Black residents are about four times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than white residents.