New private sector initiative to help victims of the California fires
Rebuilding will be expensive, with some estimates reaching as high as $40 billion.
The fires, which began three weeks ago, killed 28 people, burned through more than 4,000 square meters and destroyed more than 16,000 buildings, according to Cal Fire.
Newsom recruited basketball legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Dodgers baseball team Chairman Mark Walter and Casey Wasserman, president and chairperson of LA28, to help recruit other philanthropists for the initiative.
'With Mark, Earvin and Casey's proven leadership and deep commitment to Los Angeles, we'll tap into the enormous creativity, experience, and resources of the private sector, alongside local, state, and federal efforts, to deliver a recovery that benefits all Angelenos,' the governor said in a statement Tuesday
'It's time for those with means to come forward and make a positive impact to build back better,' Walter said.
The initiative already has a pledge of up to $100 million from Walter, his family's foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
'We can't lose hope,' Newsom said while urging victims of the fires to seek support from the new philanthropic effort, known as LA Rises. 'It is possible that we can come back more climate resilient, come back stronger.'
Three of the biggest fires that hit the region are almost fully contained, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire is 99% contained, followed by the Hughes fire at 98% containment. And the Palisades fire is 95% contained.
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Voice of America
28-01-2025
- Voice of America
New private sector initiative to help victims of the California fires
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday launched LA Rises, a private sector initiative aimed at raising money to help residents of Southern California rebuild their lives in the wake of the recent, devastating fires. Rebuilding will be expensive, with some estimates reaching as high as $40 billion. The fires, which began three weeks ago, killed 28 people, burned through more than 4,000 square meters and destroyed more than 16,000 buildings, according to Cal Fire. Newsom recruited basketball legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Dodgers baseball team Chairman Mark Walter and Casey Wasserman, president and chairperson of LA28, to help recruit other philanthropists for the initiative. 'With Mark, Earvin and Casey's proven leadership and deep commitment to Los Angeles, we'll tap into the enormous creativity, experience, and resources of the private sector, alongside local, state, and federal efforts, to deliver a recovery that benefits all Angelenos,' the governor said in a statement Tuesday 'It's time for those with means to come forward and make a positive impact to build back better,' Walter said. The initiative already has a pledge of up to $100 million from Walter, his family's foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. 'We can't lose hope,' Newsom said while urging victims of the fires to seek support from the new philanthropic effort, known as LA Rises. 'It is possible that we can come back more climate resilient, come back stronger.' Three of the biggest fires that hit the region are almost fully contained, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire is 99% contained, followed by the Hughes fire at 98% containment. And the Palisades fire is 95% contained.
Voice of America
25-01-2025
- Voice of America
Trump proposes 'getting rid of FEMA' while touring disaster areas
U.S. President Donald Trump surveyed disaster zones in California and North Carolina on Friday and said he was considering 'getting rid of' the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation's central organization for responding to disasters. In fire-ravaged California, the state's Democratic leaders pressed Trump for federal assistance that he's threatened to hold up, some setting aside their past differences to shower him with praise. Trump, in turn, pressured local officials to waive permitting requirements so people can immediately rebuild, pledging that federal permits would be granted promptly. Instead of having federal financial assistance flow through FEMA, the Republican president said Washington could provide money directly to the states. He made the comments while visiting North Carolina, which is still recovering months after Hurricane Helene, on the first trip of his second term. 'FEMA has been a very big disappointment," the Republican president said. 'It's very bureaucratic. And it's very slow." Trump was greeted in California by Governor Gavin Newsom, a Trump critic whom the president frequently disparages. The duo chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite their history. 'We're going to need your support. We're going to need your help,' Newsom told Trump. 'You were there for us during COVID. I don't forget that, and I have all the expectations we'll be able to work together to get a speedy recovery.' Newsom has praised Trump before when looking for help from the federal government. In the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, he called Trump 'thoughtful' and 'collaborative.' Trump flew over several devastated neighborhoods in Marine One, the presidential helicopter, before landing in Pacific Palisades, a hard-hit community that's home to some of Southern California's rich and famous. Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, he walked a street where all the houses have burned, chatting with residents and police officers. It takes seeing the damage firsthand to grasp its enormity, Trump said after. The fires, which continue to burn, could end up being the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. 'It is devastation. It really is an incineration," Trump said. Trump's brief but friendly interaction with Newsom belied the confrontational stance he signaled toward California earlier in the day. Even on the plane en route to Los Angeles, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was using Trump's disparaging nickname for the governor, 'Newscum,' and telling reporters, 'He has wronged the people of his state' and saying Trump was visiting to pressure Newsom and other officials 'to do right by their citizens.' Trump said Los Angeles residents who lost their homes should be able to get back onto their properties immediately to clear them, adding several told him it will be months before they can rebuild. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said residents should be able to return home within the week, but keeping people safe from hazardous materials is a top priority. She said the city was easing the process to get permits, but she was repeatedly interrupted by Trump as she tried to explain the city's efforts. He downplayed the concerns about toxins, saying: 'What's hazardous waste? We're going to have to define that.' Trump has a long history of minimizing the risks of asbestos. In his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, Trump called asbestos 'the greatest fireproofing material ever used' and '100% safe, once applied,' and claimed the movement against the insulator was led by the mob, 'because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.' Before flying to California, Trump reiterated that he wants to extract concessions from the Democratic-led state in return for disaster assistance, including changes to water policies and requirements that voters need to show identification when casting ballots. Beyond Trump's criticism of FEMA, he's suggested limiting the federal government's role in responding to disasters, echoing comments from conservative allies who have proposed reducing funding and responsibility. 'I'd like to see the states take care of disasters,' he said in North Carolina. 'Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen.' Trump said Michael Whatley, a North Carolina native and chair of the Republican National Committee, would help coordinate recovery efforts in the state, where frustrations over the federal response have lingered. Although Whatley does not hold an official government position, Trump said he would be 'very much in charge.' FEMA helps respond to disasters when local leaders request a presidential emergency declaration, a signal that the damage is beyond the state's ability to handle on its own. FEMA can reimburse governments for recovery efforts such as debris removal, and it gives stopgap financial assistance to individual residents. Trump has criticized former President Joe Biden for his administration's response to Helene in North Carolina. As he left the White House on Friday morning, he told reporters that 'it's been a horrible thing the way that's been allowed to fester' since the storm hit in September, and 'we're going to get it fixed up. In a small town in western North Carolina, residents told Trump about wading through waist-deep water to escape from their homes while fearing for their lives. Some have battled with insurance companies to get their losses covered. 'We've come to North Carolina with a simple message," Trump said. 'You are not forgotten any longer. You were treated very badly by the previous administration.' FEMA has distributed $319 million in financial assistance to residents, but that hasn't alleviated the feeling of abandonment among residents who are struggling to rebuild their lives. Michael A. Coen Jr., who served as chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump was 'misinformed' about an agency that provides critical help to states when they are overwhelmed by catastrophe. In addition, Coen criticized the idea of attaching strings to assistance. "I think the American people expect the federal government will be there for them on their worst day, no matter where they live,' he said. Trump tapped Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL with limited experience managing natural disasters, as FEMA's acting director.
Voice of America
25-01-2025
- Voice of America
Trump says US government is behind California during visit to fire-stricken state
U.S. President Donald Trump said the federal government is standing behind California 100% in the aftermath of devastating wildfires and said during a visit to the state on Friday that he would come back as much as needed. "The first lady and I are in California to express a great love for the people of California," Trump told a gathering of local leaders at a fire station in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The neighborhood was one of the worst hit by the recent fires, with rows of homes left in ashes. Trump participated in a walking tour of the area earlier in the day and also surveyed recovery efforts from a helicopter as firefighters in the Los Angeles area continued to confront multiple blazes amid high winds and dry conditions. "I don't think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is, until you see it," Trump said after the tour. The Palisades Fire is about 77% contained and has burned through nearly 9,500 hectares of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Trump has criticized California leaders for water policies that he says have exacerbated the recent wildfires. He said before traveling to California that he would "take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow, but they didn't let the water flow." California Governor Gavin Newsom has rejected the president's assertion, and other state legislators have said the fierce wildfires placed extreme demand on a municipal system not designed to battle such blazes. Newsom greeted Trump as he arrived on the tarmac in Los Angeles on Friday. The two were cordial and shook hands. "I have all the expectations we're going to be able to work together," Newsom said. Trump responded: "We're going to get it fixed." During the gathering with community leaders, Trump said that Los Angeles residents who lost homes should be allowed back onto their properties immediately, challenging Mayor Karen Bass to speed up the cleanup process. "People are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it up. There is not that much left, it is all incinerated," Trump said. Bass said, "the most important thing is for people to be safe," but promised residents should be able to return home within the week. Trump promised that federal permits to rebuild would be granted promptly and urged local officials to do the same. Before visiting California, Trump first visited North Carolina, where he was briefed on monthslong recovery efforts of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Speaking to reporters at Asheville Regional Airport, Trump said FEMA "has been a very big disappointment" and said he is considering "getting rid" of the agency. FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency that has been responding to disasters in both California and North Carolina. "It's very bureaucratic. And it's very slow," Trump said of the agency. Trump continued to express dissatisfaction with FEMA while in California, calling it a "big disappointment." Trump, a Republican, has broached using federal disaster assistance as a bargaining chip during unrelated legislative negotiations over government borrowing, or as leverage to push California to alter its water policies. "Playing politics with people's livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the southern California wildfire victims and to our brave first responders," Representative Young Kim, a Republican from Orange County, south of Los Angeles, said in a recent statement. Trump has also suggested putting more responsibility on individual states to respond to disasters. "I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems," he said in a Wednesday interview with Fox News. "FEMA is getting in the way of everything." Michael A. Coen Jr., who served as chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump has been "misinformed" about the agency, and he took exception to what he characterized as Trump's inclination to play politics with disaster relief. Ahead of Trump's visit to southern California, firefighters continued to fight multiple fires in the Los Angeles region. The second-largest fire, known as the Eaton Fire, is now 95% contained after burning through more than 5,600 hectares of land, according to Cal Fire. The Hughes Fire in the mountains northwest of Los Angeles near Castaic Lake started Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders for more than 50,000 people. Health advisories for smoke and windblown dust and ash have been issued for surrounding areas. "Smoke and ash can harm everyone, even those who are healthy," Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County's health officer, said in a statement. Firefighters received help fighting the Hughes Fire overnight with aerial water drops from helicopters. The fire is now 56% contained and has burned more than 4,200 hectares of land, according to the Cal Fire. The Laguna Fire in Ventura County initially prompted evacuation orders for California State University Channel Islands and University Glen, but the orders were downgraded to warnings Thursday afternoon. That fire is 70% contained after charring nearly 40 hectares of land, according to Cal Fire. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said high winds, low humidity and dry conditions continued to cause "elevated" fire weather conditions on Friday. There is a chance for some relief in the coming days. The National Weather Service said rain is expected in the area beginning Saturday. Forecasters expect up to a centimeter of rain across much of the Los Angeles area, while localized thunderstorms could bring even more rain in limited locations. The potential for those storms has prompted concerns about the possibility of mudslides, with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by several weeks of wildfires. The fires that broke out in southern California on Jan. 7 have killed at least 28 people and destroyed an estimated 16,000 buildings. The death toll is expected to climb as emergency workers comb through the ashes. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
