Ever since the wildfires in LA began on the 7th, I hoped they would be quickly contained without causing much damage. I know we all did.

Sadly, as we know today, that hasn’t been the case. My thoughts are with everyone affected—people and nature alike—in and around LA. If you are an LA local, I want to extend my hopes that no friend, buddy, or member of your chosen or real family has been hurt by these wildfires. We—I—are thinking of you!

I wanted to take January off to scout new locations, and I’m doing that now. But in December, I already planned to start the New Year with a small bang and return with a new City Event in Los Angeles. This event is exciting because it would be the first time we’re hosting in LA without being tied to the CLAW Leather getaway. My goal is to establish LA as a regular stop on our event schedule.

Following this event, my plan is to host a new CLUB Edition Event in a smaller town near LA, between LA and Santa Barbara in the San Fernando Valley. This would cater to those who might find it difficult to make it to LA for just a few hours of fun. As of now, neither of these locations nor their staff have been impacted by the wildfires. However, I recognize that circumstances can change quickly.

Initially, I planned to announce the event dates and start ticket sales last weekend (January 12th). However, as the reality of the ongoing wildfires became clearer, I started to feel deeply unsure. Could this really be the right time to announce an event? With so many people facing such devastating losses, it felt impossible to move forward without questioning whether this was the right thing to do.

Rather than making a decision from afar, I felt it was important to hear directly from those impacted. So, I reached out to our community through a short survey, inviting Newsletter subscribers and Chat Room users to share their local perspectives. The response was overwhelming—not just because so many people took part, but because the mix of perspectives really felt representative and gave me valuable insights into the situation.

Let me explain. Usually, our events involve hundreds of Mares in the lottery and, of course, plenty of Stallions, but in smaller quantities. In this survey, anyone could respond, including those outside LA. So one could have expected that way more Mare and people from outside LA might overwhelmingly vote "Yes, do the events," which could skew the results. But that wasn’t the case at all. Here’s what the data revealed (as of now, the survey is still open):

• 48% identify as Mare, 11% as versatile (and open to participating as Mare or Stallion), and 41% identify as Stallion.
• 64% are locals, and 26% would travel to LA. Of the locals, 6% said they wouldn’t join due to safety concerns, while 94% would participate.

For the final question—whether we should postpone or cancel the February/March events in LA—the responses were:

• For the DT LA Event: 6% voted to postpone/cancel, and 94% said "Yes, announce and start it."
• For the San Fernando Valley Club Edition: 11% voted to postpone/cancel, and 89% said "Yes, announce and start it."

This feedback has been incredibly helpful in making decisions about the future of our events. Thank you all for your input!

After that, I went to LA for two days and just got back. My goal was to speak with locals, get a sense of the city, and understand how it feels right now. I also visited both venues in LA and the Valley, where I spoke with the owners and their teams.

I have to say, it felt good to be there. Everyone I spoke with encouraged me to move forward with the events as planned. Spending two days in the city and the Valley gave me confidence that hosting the events is the right decision.

With the support of the community feedback and my own time spent in LA, I no longer feel like I’d be making the wrong choice by holding these events. So, my decision is clear: we’re going ahead with the events in LA and the Valley.

Thank you for being part of this journey—let’s make it happen together!