California Approves $2.5 Billion To Help Los Angeles Area Recover From Wildfires

Los Angeles: California lawmakers have approved a $2.5 billion fire relief package to help the Los Angeles area recover from recent deadly wildfires. The bills passed on Thursday with strong bipartisan support and now head to Governor Gavin Newsom for approval.

As per reports, the package included $2.5 billion for the state’s emergency disaster response efforts, which will help with evacuations, providing shelter for survivors, and removing hazardous waste from homes. It also provides $4 million to assist local governments in speeding up the approval process for rebuilding homes, and $1 million to help school districts rebuild their facilities.

Mike McGuire, president pro tempore of the state Senate, said, “We need to be able to move with urgency, put aside our differences and be laser-focused on delivering the financial resources, delivering the boots on the ground that are needed and the policy relief that is needed to get neighbourhoods cleaned up and communities rebuilt.”

Governor Newsom had proposed this funding last week, expanding on a special session he originally called in November to prepare for legal challenges from President Donald Trump’s administration.

In addition to the fire relief package, Newsom announced that 270 state-chartered banks, credit unions, and lenders have agreed to offer mortgage relief for homeowners in the affected areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The recent wildfires in Southern California have caused widespread destruction. The largest fire, which started on January 7, tore through the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood in Los Angeles, killing 11 people. The Eaton Fire, which began the same day near Altadena, claimed 17 lives. The region is also fighting the Hughes Fire, which started Wednesday north of Los Angeles. This fire has already spread across more than 15 square miles and forced more than 50,000 people to evacuate.

Governor Newsom’s administration said the state expects the federal government to reimburse the cost of the disaster relief funding.