To support ongoing recovery efforts from the Los Angeles fires, the county Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a proposal to create a Fire Recovery Fund, with an initial bankroll of $32.2 million, to provide direct cash aid to fire victims.
The fires that erupted starting with the Jan. 7 windstorm — including the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth and Hughes fires — have destroyed more than 14,000 structures and displaced thousands of residents and business owners.
“The fund would provide direct cash aid to homeowners, renters, business owners, workers, and other community members impacted by the Fire Events,” according to a motion by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger. “The fund will provide immediate, temporary assistance to impacted residents until longer term state and federal recovery resources become available.
The motion calls for the county to initially allocate $32.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the fund.
The Departments of Economic Opportunity and Consumer and Business Affairs will be directed to report back in a week with an implementation update, including details on a process for people to apply for relief funds.
The county CEO would also be asked to find additional county funding to be re-purposed for fire recovery.
The board will also consider a related motion, directing all county departments to take expedited recovery actions. The motion identifies dozens of emergency actions aimed at assisting recovery efforts, including expedited repair of county roads, bridges and other infrastructure destroyed in the fires and authorizing the county CEO to seek and accept a wide array of grants any available state, federal or local sources, including private entities to help fund repair and recovery projects.
The motion also includes steps such as:
— outreach to fire victims about the importance of filing Misfortune and Calamity Claims, and directing the assessor to initiate reassessments regardless of such claims being filed;
— authorizing the Department of Public Works to enter non-competitive contracts for emergency repair and renovation projects, debris removal and other efforts, potentially amounting to as much as $1.25 billion;
— directing Parks and Recreation officials to carry out emergency protective measures;
— creating online resources for fire victims; and
— assessing agricultural produce for contamination.