Home » L.A. wildfires cause $350 million in damage to city facilities – Jobsmaa.com

L.A. wildfires cause $350 million in damage to city facilities – Jobsmaa.com

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Wildfires in Pacific Palisades and other parts of Los Angeles this month damaged or destroyed about $350 million in public infrastructure, including streetlights, recreation centers and a burned library, according to a city report.

A preliminary cost estimate, which examined the damage done in the first four days of the fires, was presented to the City Council on Wednesday as part of a larger debate on the emergency's impact on the city budget.

City Administrator Matt Szabo told council members his office has submitted a preliminary cost estimate to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the process to seek full or partial reimbursement for fire and wind-related damage. His office, which relies heavily on cost estimates from each city department, will work to refine the figures in the coming weeks.

“These are preliminary estimates,” he told the council. “They are likely to grow.”

Szabo's seven-page memo did not examine the public infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena, communities outside Los Angeles. It also does not include public buildings maintained by the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County, or other non-city agencies.

The fire-ravaged remains of a school

The ruins of Palisades Elementary Charter School in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 8.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Much of the damage to LA city infrastructure was caused by the Palisades Fire, which destroyed more than 6,600 structures and damaged 890 others, many of them in the Pacific Palisades.

According to the report, the Department of Water and Power caused nearly $76 million in damage, mostly to its power distribution system. Sanitary infrastructure, including pumping plants at nearly a dozen locations, caused nearly $48 million in damage. Losses to the Pacific Palisades Public Library were estimated at $55 million.

FEMA typically helps local governments with disaster recovery by reimbursing 75% of damage costs, city financial analysts said. In the final days of the Biden administration, federal officials agreed to provide 100% of the city's debris removal and emergency responses to wildfires and related wind storms — but only if that work took place within 180 days of the city's emergency. Declaration.

On top of damaged infrastructure, the city estimated about $24 million in emergency response costs in the first 10 days of the wildfires — much of it for fire and police services.

It's unclear whether FEMA's approach to the city's steadily growing emergency spending will change during the Trump administration. On Monday, President Trump Issued an executive order Directing federal officials to ensure that “sanctuary” jurisdictions do not receive federal funds that “seek to interfere” with immigration enforcement.

An aide to Hugo Soto-Martinez, one of the council members who proposed the city's sanctuary law, said the city would not lose federal funding under such an order because its sanctuary law “does not interfere” with federal law enforcement. “Rather, it ensures that city resources and staff are not used to cooperate with immigration officials,” the aide said.

Szabo said his office hopes to avoid tapping the city's emergency reserve as much as possible, instead borrowing from other funds until federal money arrives. The city used that strategy when city employees provided COVID-19 testing and other critical services during the pandemic crisis.

L.A. elected officials were facing budget pressures even before the fire broke out. The city's emergency reserve has dwindled to $320 million, or about 4% of the city's general fund budget, which pays for basic services like police patrols and emergency response. The city's budget policy calls for that fund to be 5%.

On Wednesday, the council approved the creation of an ad hoc committee on storm and wildfire recovery to oversee reconstruction efforts and distribution of state and federal aid.

Council member Tracy Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, said the committee will focus not only on rebuilding but also on restoring public confidence in “our city's emergency and disaster response” system.

“For that reason, we will take these meetings to the affected communities so we can make it easier and more convenient for residents to participate and have their voices heard,” he said.

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