The number of deaths from the wildfires that destroyed entire communities in the Los Angeles area this month has risen to 29, the county medical examiner’s office said Monday.

Recent wildfires not only brought lose and heartache to the residents of the Los Angeles area, they also scorched state, city and county politics. While the initial voting in the races for California governor and Los Angeles mayor is more than a year away memories of how politicians dealt with the fires and its aftermath will linger.