Speaking of Ernest Batchelder who created the tiles, Areias remarked in the New York Times, “He was a genius, he was an artist, he was a public servant and he embodied the best of the California spirit,” said Rusty Areias, a former California state legislator who has installed Batchelder tiles throughout his home in Sacramento County. Mr. Areias, who is not involved in the salvage effort in Altadena, added, “When you see that patchwork quilt of colors, you just go, ‘Wow.’”
