Watch Duty
Possible avenues for community restoration.
A Note on California’s Wildfires: Thank you to everyone for their well wishes! I was profoundly lucky and experienced no major disruptions as wildfires swept across much of Southern California this week. The hard truth is that there is no city in the world where climate preparedness should not be an a priori issue. For those skeptical, I implore you to read the IPCC’s latest report, UNESCO’s findings on glacial dissolution, ’s , or for the more visually inclined, the Pulitzer Center’s 2024 A Year in Photos report. For the countless L.A. residents and small business owners affected by this climate catastrophe or for those in a position to provide assistance, here are some community resources that may prove helpful:
Resource Guides: PBS SoCal; LA Works; Mutual Aid LA Network
Small Business Disaster Relief Funds: iFundWomen*; 15 Percent Pledge
Wellness: UCLA Mindful
*Those in a position to support financially may also partner with iFundWomen to sponsor grants for L.A. entrepreneurs.
Route 24 is your civic education stop for stories driving public trust. It’s a space for policy analysis, immersive storytelling, and social innovation. If you’re new here, welcome! Read more about our direction in 2025:
SCENIC ROUTE parks in your inbox on Sundays to merge the lanes of immersive storytelling and politics and help you find a better view.
In this issue: A recent report from the Center for Climate Integrity indicated that it would cost California approximately $1 billion in wildfire mitigation efforts from 2024 - 2040, a figure that does not include climate catastrophe incident response or clean-up costs. This calculation reinforces the idea that public safety is as much a climate issue as it is a justice issue. While Trump was being sentenced in Manhattan court, this week also marked two years since Tyre Nichols was detained and fatally beaten by now-former Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop. In this issue, I discuss the intersections of climate and justice, how climate fiction offers one avenue for community restoration, and take a few rest stops along the way.
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Warrior Way
Climate fiction is a genre of storytelling that immerses its reader in climate science, specifically climate change mitigation efforts, while also combining elements of science or realistic fiction. For families looking for creative ways to explain the California wildfires to children of all ages or for adults in search of where to begin, these compiled lists from Commons and Libby motivate readers to take collective climate action.
Rest Stop
In case you missed it, Rest Stop will now be a featured section of the Sunday Scenic Route issue, rather than a separate Friday column.
In the first issue of Route 24, I wrote about roadside innovations with a focus on improvements for night driving.
recently polled its readers about driving at night, and the majority of responses show how important these issues are for public safety. Take a look.
Arcade Alley
Arcade Alley gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the gaming features and design approaches that have informed our creative process on Probable Cause.
Have you ever noticed how women are portrayed in automobile advertising? In her Rutgers dissertation, Mustang Advertising and the Impact of Feminism: Women’s Representation in Ads from 1964-1975, Marissa Powell chronicles how Ford’s attempt to appeal to independent women failed due to a dependency on gender stereotypes. With interactive portraits that range from a podcast host to a climate refugee, Probable Cause plays with public perception on the intersections of climate science and criminal justice to challenge existing gender norms.
Tread Lightly
A green light. A yellow light. A yield sign. A stop sign. What the…
My dad sent me this parking garage photo and I think it’s a solid analogy for how many are feeling the first week into 2025.
Remember to send your hilarious road sign photos to route24@substack.com with Tread Lightly! in the subject line to be included in a future issue.
At the Wheel
The Heart Sūtra in Buddhist teachings has been one I consistently turn to for balance when life feels overwhelming. It’s a mantra in service of compassion. May it be a source of comfort to those in need.
Tadyata gaté gaté paragaté parasamgaté bodhi svaha.
It is thus: Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, thoroughly proceed beyond, be founded in enlightenment.
As published in The Essence of the Heart Sūtra (2002).
Stay the course,
Sam
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