LA County ratifies declarations of emergency, curfews; sets funds for fire victims, displaced workers
In response to the windstorm and unprecedented destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County this past week, a local emergency was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 14, granting the county access to state and federal disaster dollars to aid fire victims, affected business owners and workers who lost their jobs.
The action also keeps in place a local health emergency caused by unhealthy and dangerous air quality due to smoke in the air, in fire areas and throughout the Los Angeles Basin. On Tuesday morning, the basin had mostly moderate air quality, with good air quality in the eastern San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire.
To reduce particles in the air, the health order puts a ban on the use of leaf blowers until the county’s health officer determines that such air-blowing devices will not negatively affect air quality in L.A. County.
These emergency declarations are the result of severe wind-driven fires including the Palisades fire, Eaton fire in north Pasadena and Altadena, Hurst fire and Kenneth fire, which have caused fatalities and a massive loss of homes and businesses unseen in L.A. County.
The actions ratify emergency declarations made by Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger on Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, making them in effect until terminated by the board. To have these in place will show state and federal agencies the need for additional funding, officials said.
“We are laying the groundwork for a coordinated response,” said Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
The death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires has reached 24, with 16 deaths in the Eaton fire, according to the county Medical Examiner’s office. In addition, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said officials were working on 23 missing persons cases possibly linked to the fires — 17 from the Eaton fire, and six from the Palisades fire. All of the missing are adults.
More than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire burning in Altadena and Pasadena, which was 35% contained as of early Tuesday, Jan. 14, officials said. The fire did not grow beyond the 14,117 acres reported burned as of Sunday.
Near the coast, more than 5,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. Fire crews had 17% containment Tuesday morning, while the fire expanded minimally to 23,713 acres, according to Cal Fire. The growth has been “very little,” said Jim Hudson of Cal Fire Incident Management Team 2, a positive, though a red flag fire weather warning was in place in the area through noon Wednesday.
The actions by the board emphasize providing services within the breadth and scope of the destructiveness of the fires. The supervisors said the county will set up funds to distribute donations and streamline permit processes for rebuilding in unincorporated areas such as Altadena.
“Today’s motion is about taking action,” Barger said. “It is about meeting the needs of the people, but also to immediately begin the rebuilding and recovery aspects. This is the time for government to step up to the plate and support our communities.
“I walked through Altadena and I can’t even put it into words. The devastation is harrowing,” Barger said about the loss of homes in the unincorporated community north of Pasadena. “Families came there in the 1800s and built their homes, many built because of redlining, because that was the only place the African-American community was allowed to build,” Barger added.
The supervisors’ motion also kept in effect the curfews in evacuated areas and areas with evacuation warnings in unincorporated areas, and in the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Malibu, between the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. “to preserve public order and safety.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney has charged 10 people with felonies in connection with four crimes, including looting and arson, committed during the Palisades and Eaton wildfires.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday announced that nine people had been charged in connection to residential burglaries in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, and one man was charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire in Azusa about 100 yards from the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Besides addressing looting, the action restarted the L.A. County Price Gouging Task Force, run in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, to investigate complaints of landlords jacking up rents, said Rafael Carbajal, director of the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.
Many who’ve lost their homes are in shelters or living with family or friends and are asking the supervisors how they can rebuild. About 40,000 have filled out Federal Emergency Management Agency forms, Barger said. Each can receive $43,600, she said. The county is helping them get reacquainted with their banks. Copies of property documents are available at county offices for no charge, she said.
Many at shelters and who attended recent meetings with Barger and Horvath, whose districts were heavily affected by the fires, asked about property taxes. After rebuilding, property values would rise, normally kicking in a rise in property taxes. But those in a fire zone can file for a reduced assessment under the county’s “calamity and misfortune” format, said Jeff Prang, county assessor.
“We will provide them with an adjusted bill,” Prang said. “When they rebuild, they can build up to 120% without reassessment,” he explained.
Some schools were burned to the ground, leaving strapped districts without the funds to rebuild. The action directs the L.A. County Office of Education to coordinate with schools damaged or destroyed “and provide coordination and support to rebuild or repair impacted schools,” read the motion.
Horvath said she wants more county Department of Mental Health counselors dispatched to the school sites, or where they are holding classes currently. “Students that have been displaced need that support right now,” she said.
Many who testified before the board were critical of L.A. County actions taken during the COVID pandemic, saying the county did not distribute funds equitably. When developing formulas for distributing dollars, some on Tuesday urged the board not to leave out immigrant workers, landscapers, caregivers, construction workers or workers in businesses that burned down but may live elsewhere.
Justin Andrews, a construction worker, said he lost all his work at sites in the Palisades area and Malibu. “Many workers in construction don’t know when we will go back. That means we won’t be able to pay rent,” he told the board.
Martha Gonzalez, an organizer with One LA-IAF, a network of diverse religious and non-profit institutions in L.A. County working to strengthen communities, said she heard from three house cleaners in the San Gabriel Valley who have lost all their clients.
“There’s an urgency to support immigrant workers, and mom and pop businesses,” Luz Castro told the board. “This includes landscapers, street vendors and recyclers, many who have lost their jobs.”
The county will start with at least $1 million in the county’s Fire Recovery Fund. It is also forming a business interruption grant program and a worker relief fund for those affiliated with marginalized and mom and pop businesses, said county officials. The county’s chief executive officer will report back to the board in five days on ways to administer donations both to fire victims, and to workers who’ve lost their source of income because of evacuations and/or businesses that were lost in the fires.
“This will result in businesses and workers having money in their hands fast,” said Kelly LoBianco, director of the L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers
UCLA Research Park West10850 West Pico Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90064Hours of operation –Daily: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
Pasadena City College Community Education Center3035 East Foothill Blvd.Pasadena, CA 91106Hours of operation – Daily: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
FEMA Helpline: 1-800- 621-3362
SCNG staff writers Nathaniel Percy and Andrea Klick contributed to this article.