More than 20 state lawmakers gathered Thursday with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) to telegraph their commitment to the fire-ravaged Los Angeles region and announce a comprehensive legislative package to aid recovery efforts.
Rivas said the Palisades and Eaton fires “were a disaster on a scale unprecedented in California's history: thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed, more than 100,000 people were displaced, and many precious lives were lost.”
Rivas stood outside the Rose Bowl — a canonical local landmark A busy fire station became the command post – As he spoke, dozens of fire trucks from across the state could be seen in the parking lot behind him.
The Assembly leader pledged that he and other lawmakers would move quickly to provide billions of dollars in funding to clean up toxic waste and repair and rebuild schools. Lawmakers also touched on a wide range of legislative initiatives, some of which have already been introduced in the statehouse, while others will be formally introduced in the coming days.
Rivas said legislative efforts will “focus on housing” because housing is “the No. 1 issue we hear from Angelenos right now: how to find housing, how to stay in housing, how to rebuild housing.”
Rivas announced six housing-related bills he is co-authoring with LA-area lawmakers, which will be officially introduced next week, his office said.
The list includes a bill co-authored by Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne) to speed up the rebuilding permitting process, increase local housing affordability, and protect displaced residents. In wildfire victims or their pets.
The remote news conference also noted several legislative initiatives that have already been introduced, including a bill introduced by Assemblywoman Jessica Galoza (D-Los Angeles) that would create a grant program to provide up to $1,500 in direct financial assistance to an individual. A family is struggling to take care of essentials.
Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) has introduced bills to increase pay for inmate firefighters for the hours they spend “actively fighting fires.” Freeze housing rental rates Throughout Los Angeles County.
Other efforts include Co-wrote a bill Legislators John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) and Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) would allow anyone who lost their home in a fire to receive a mortgage deferment for up to a year. The Harrapedian district includes areas hard hit by the Eaton fire, while Irwin Palisades represents residents devastated by the fire.
“For those of you who have lived in Altadena or Pasadena for a long time, the Eaton Fire was the worst disaster we could have imagined. We know we live in a fire-prone area, but I don't think we could have imagined the level of devastation we saw in the San Gabriel Mountains,” Harabedian said Thursday morning. , he and his fellow lawmakers vowed to support residents throughout the long road ahead.
Before leaving the stage, Harabedian recalled an old wives' tale that anyone who grew up on the edge of the San Gabriel Mountains would know.
The mountains are lined with trees where Mount Wilson is, and parents have long told their children that those looming trees are “cavalry coming over the mountains,” the Sierra Madre native said.
“I tell you, the cavalry is here,” Harabedian said. “The cavalry is behind me, it's coming.”