The Last Load: A Los Angeles Neighborhood Clears the Way

At 7:12 on a Saturday morning, a cracked wooden cabinet stood at the curb in Pasadena like a stubborn monument. By noon, it was supposed to be gone. The family replacing it had a delivery truck coming, the narrow driveway was already crowded with renovation debris, and the city’s regular trash pickup was days away. Then a breeze sent a strip of insulation skittering across the sidewalk, and Mara Reyes glanced toward the neighboring houses.