California has stepped up funding to help the Los Angeles area recover from recent deadly wildfires under a more than $2.5 billion fire relief package approved by the California Legislature on Thursday.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the bill, which had bipartisan support and now heads to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. The proposal includes $2.5 billion for the state’s emergency disaster response efforts, including evacuations, protection of survivors, and removal of household hazardous waste. It also approved $4 million to help local governments streamline approvals for housing reconstruction and $1 million to assist school districts with rebuilding facilities.
“We will act with urgency, put aside our differences, and provide the financial resources and necessary on-the-ground work and policy relief needed to clean up our neighborhoods and rebuild our communities. We need to focus on doing that,” said state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, a Democrat.
Newsom announced the funding proposal last week. The move expands the focus of a special session of Congress that he originally convened in November to prepare for a legal battle against the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.
The governor also announced Thursday a commitment by 270 state-chartered banks, credit unions and lenders to provide mortgage relief to homeowners affected by the fires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The largest of the recent wildfires in Southern California occurred on January 7th, hitting the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, killing 11 people. On the same day, 17 people died in the Eaton Fire near Altadena.
The region is currently battling the Hughes Fire, which broke out north of Los Angeles on Wednesday and has spread over 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) and prompted evacuation orders for more than 50,000 people.
The Newsom administration said the state expects to receive reimbursement for disaster relief funds from the federal government.
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