...
By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Los Angeles City Council adopted new measures on Tuesday that will start recovery efforts for residents affected by the recent wildfires.
Why It Matters
The wildfires raging across Los Angeles County have claimed at least 24 lives and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. The Palisades fire, determined to be the most destructive in Los Angeles city history, erupted last Tuesday. The same day, the Eaton and Hurst fires also started, totaling almost 40,000 acres consumed by the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
Read More on Politics
According to the most recent data, the Palisades fire is 19 percent contained. The Eaton fire is 45 percent contained, and the Hurst fire is almost wholly contained at 97 percent.
...
What To Know
The City Council's votes were on measures to expedite the arrival of federal emergency fund support for fire damage, assess the potential for postfire mudslides and put new safeguards against price gouging for those evacuated.
A proposal by City Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez is meant to stop rent increases and prevent evictions for tenants facing economic and medical hardships for a year following the fires.
Hernandez also proposed a 60-day grace period for parking tickets and vehicle impounds. This motion, however, failed.
Council members Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez proposed a measure for the June 2026 ballot that would raise money to repair the fire stations and construct new ones. The proposal indicates that more than half of the 106 fire stations are over 50 years old.
One measure passed also looks for long-term recovery plans, referring to work from Santa Rosa and Maui, which have also experienced similar horrific tragedies recently.
Another proposal seeks transparency from the city's Department of Water and Power about issues that arose throughout the fires, such as water pressure problems and dry fire hydrants. Governor Gavin Newsom recently called for an independent investigation as to why some fire hydrants lost water pressure and why water supplies were reportedly unavailable from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
The City Council also agreed to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' local emergency declaration.
...
What People Are Saying
Council member Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades: "As a city, our singular goal must be to ensure that residents have the resources they need to rebuild their lives and come home."
Council member Bob Blumenfield: "We have to fundamentally change the way we do things in this city so that we can grow back and we build back in a strong way."
Council member Monica Rodriguez: "We're not out of the woods yet."
What's Next
Firefighters are still working to contain fires in parts of Los Angeles. The city is expecting more high winds. Council member Rodriguez said, "No part of this city, part of this region, is out of threat."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines