Jimmy Espinoza, bassist of Chicano band Thee Midniters, lost his home in the Eaton fire

“Sometimes I find myself driving to what used to be my home, and then I remember the house is no longer there,” Jimmy Espinoza, bandleader and bassist of the 1960s Chicano rock band, Thee Midniters, told CALÓ News. 

Espinoza was one of the hundreds of people who lost his home and belongings to the Eaton Fire, which began on January 7 and burned more than 14,021 acres and 9,418 structures. 

Espinoza rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with Thee Midniters, one of the first rock acts to openly sing about Chicano themes in songs such as "Chicano Power" and "The Ballad of César Chávez. " He is now homeless after his rental home in Altadena, which he has lived in for almost a decade, was completely destroyed. 

“I lost everything, except my faith,” Espinoza said. “That was my home. That’s where I used to lay my head after the day ended, and that's where all the memorabilia of the band and those years lived.” 

Espinoza remembers leaving his home on the evening of January 7 with only his clothes, a Bible, a suitcase containing his important documents and medical records, and an electric bass guitar in each hand. Everything else he ever owned turned into ashes. 

“I woke up that morning and the news was already reporting on the Palisades fire,” Espinoza said. “Not so long after, a new fire was reported in the Eaton Hills mountains. At that time I still felt pretty safe. The fire was not close and at that time it seemed that it was only on the far side of the mountains. [Altadena] was under voluntary, not mandatory, evacuation.”  

But that quickly changed as the Santa Ana winds gusting between 55 and 70 mph took full force. “The fire spread fast. I can see it about two blocks from my home,” Espinoza said. 

Espinoza’s dear friend Cindy Mac, urged him by phone to leave his home as soon as possible. “I wish I had gotten out sooner and prepared earlier,” he said. 

Since then he has returned twice to the piece of land that once held his home, where he found nothing but ashes. “The only thing still standing was the outer shell of what used to be my washing machine. I looked, I really did, but I didn’t find anything else,” the 80-year-old said. 

With some of the funds he has received from community members and friends, Espinoza is renting a small room in Baldwin Park that a friend helped him find. “It’s not truly a home, but I’m grateful to have a roof over my head,” he said. 

Espinoza said that there are times when the disbelief and overwhelmingness still hit him in the middle of his day, and in times like this, his faith in Christianity, Mac and the memories of Thee Midniters keep him afloat. 

Thee Midniters were a popular act in the Southern California music scene. They were known for their energetic live performances and for their blend of rock, soul, pop and R&B. They quickly became a huge influence on the Chicano rock movement, paving the way for future Latino musicians.

Today, the band is considered a pioneer of the East L.A. music scene and shows. “People used to say we were the West Coast Beatles,” Espinoza said. “In reality, we were all a very passionate, talented group of young kids who simply loved music and our culture.” 

Espinoza grew up in a single-mother, working-class household in Boyle Heights, across the street from  Theodore Roosevelt High School. His mother worked  at a pharmaceutical manufacturer in East Los Angeles and would come home on the bus. 

“She was a tiny but fierce woman,” he said. “She was only four foot 11, but once a week she would come home carrying three grocery bags in each hand from the Grand Central Market, where she would stop to shop for groceries after work. She never gave us a feeling of being without.” 

Most band members attended Salesian High School, an all-boys school located near the corner of Whittier Boulevard and Soto Street. “We just kept showing up to practice, and in no time we were performing,” Espinoza said when talking about Thee Midniters. 

The Mexican American high school students, at that time, began playing at backyard parties, quinceañeras, churches and other high schools. 

One of their most popular singles, the one that, according to Espinoza, made them well-known among the West Coast and even nationally, was “Whittier Blvd.” 

The song, which paid homage to one of the most culturally-driven and historical streets for Chicanos in L.A., also became a signature component of the local Chicano movement that began in earnest three years after Thee Midniters' released the song. 

Awards, pictures, songs, journal entries and other memorabilia from Thee Midniter's golden era have been one of the major, unconsolable losses for Espinoza, who said he had kept everything from the time when the band was active. 

Apart from memorabilia, Espinoza also estimates he lost $200,000 in musical instruments, including six guitars he could not carry out the day the fire broke out in Altadena. “When I went back after the fires, I still hoped some of my instruments would be there, as all were inside what I thought were protective and durable cases. I found nothing,” he said. “Now I only have these two bass guitars that I brought with me. I will continue to play with these.” 

Espinoza does not plan on coming back to Altadena. According to him, the family he rented the home from for eight years plans to rebuild the structure but then move in and no longer lease it. “They notified me and I think that plan is amazing,” he said. 

He said he is already in contact with FEMA, the Pasadena Community Job Center and the Department of Social Security. “Right now I have to gather documentation, wait in lines and continue calling,” he said. He hopes to soon get assistance with basic needs to help start his recovery and most importantly, try and secure a permanent place to live. 

When asked what he hopes for in the near future, Espinoza had three goals in mind: to get close to God, live near Mac and continue his love for music.

Espinoza said that although the fire has taken away most of his things, he has viewed this as an opportunity to reinforce his faith. He wants to focus his time on a ministry and start a podcast called “Coffee with Christ” to share the teachings he has learned through Christianity. 

“I was planning and writing about the podcast the night before the fires began,” he said. “Sometimes I still cry, but I remember I’m alive and I thank God every day for that. I hope anyone going through difficult times, I hope they never give up.” 

As for Thee Midniters, Espinoza said they still perform in major venues, events or cruises. “We are still here,” he said. “And we will continue to play for as long as we can.” 

Friends and family have organized a GoFundMe for Espinoza to bring economic security to his current living conditions. 

You can visit the GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jimmy-espinoza-after-his-home-burned-to-the-ground.

He is also accepting donations via Zelle at: help4jimmy@spectrum.net