California Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday praised quick recovery efforts and thanked firefighters and other first responders on the six-month anniversary of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires.
Newsom and other elected officials, along with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, addressed reporters at Pasadena City College, where they voiced support for the governor’s earlier request to Congress for $40 billion in federal aid. Officials also expressed their condolences for the victims of Independence Day flooding in Kerry County, Texas, where at least 99 people have died.
The news conference focused on rebuilding efforts for those affected by the Los Angeles County wildfires, which started Jan. 7. The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres in Altadena, an unincorporated community outside Pasadena. The Palisades Fire burned over 23,000 acres in Los Angeles.
The fires destroyed 12,048 homes and cost 30 lives, Newsom noted. “It goes without saying that disasters test us.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger went to the podium and held a copy of “LA County Forward: Blueprint for Rebuilding.”
Barger, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, said the county’s rebuilding efforts have included removing permit fees for rebuilding homes, accelerating permitting and inspections, pre-approving designs to reduce waits for contractors and investing in infrastructure.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, whose district includes Pasadena and Altadena, told reporters she wouldn’t stop fighting for a $40 billion federal aid package to help victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires “with no strings attached.” She promised to get residents everything they need to recover and rebuild.
An aid package could also include relief for those affected by the flooding in Texas and other disasters, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, noted later. He added that homes rebuilt in Los Angeles and the Pasadena area would be built better because construction will follow the 2008 state fire code.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass didn’t attend Monday’s news conference after deciding instead to go to the city’s MacArthur Park to find out when federal agents on horseback would be leaving the area. Local media reports showed Bass, who was surprised by news of the agents, talking to an official on a cellphone handed to her at the park by an agent in a U.S. Border Patrol uniform.
Speaking on Bass’ behalf in Pasadena was Deputy Mayor Rachel Freeman.
“We all woke up with the same thought. It’s hard to believe it’s been six months since one of the worst disasters in state history,” Freeman said.
“I cannot thank firefighters and first responders enough,” said Freeman, who also expressed her gratitude to Newsom, Barger and lawmakers in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
“Many wondered how we could possibly come back. We stand here after six months of resilience, of neighbors supporting neighbors,” Freeman said, praising efforts by community organizations, chambers of commerce and residents.
“Construction is well underway in the Palisades,” Freeman said.
Newsom said he issued executive orders to ensure collaboration among agencies, promote debris removal and remove regulatory barriers to rebuilding.
“Debris removal is 96% complete,” the governor said.
“This has been one of the fastest removals in debris removal in history,” he said, praising work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Newsom also praised fellow Democrat Joe Biden, who was president when the fires broke out, for coming to Los Angeles and securing Federal Emergency Management money.
“He said the answer was yes before we asked the question,” Newsom said. “That’s something I can assure you that we can’t take for granted.”
“The baton was passed to the Trump administration. They have honored that commitment,” Newsom said.
But U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, noted President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops during the Los Angeles protests over raids on illegal immigrants took them away from their duties assisting with responses to wildfires. Padilla added 150 of those National Guard members were returned to the state’s control as California experiences its peak wildfire season.
Current blazes include the Madre Fire, which has burned more than 80,000 acres, primarily on Los Padres National Forest and Bureau of Land Management properties in San Luis Obispo County (north of Santa Barbara). It is the largest fire so far this year in California.
