California legislators, on both sides of the aisle, call for federal wildfire disaster aid for Southern California

The California Assembly this week called on President Donald Trump and Congress to send $34 billion in supplemental disaster aid to help Southern California wildfire victims more than a year after the catastrophic Palisades and Eaton fires.

Gov. Gavin Newsom first requested tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid from the federal government in February 2025 and is still waiting for Trump to give the signal to the Republican-led Congress to approve the supplemental funding.

The bipartisan resolution the Assembly passed on Thursday, Feb. 26, called on the president to “immediately submit a supplemental disaster declaration” for Congress to “unlock funding.” At the same time, it urged Congress to approve the aid “regardless of whether it receives a request” from Trump.

“Mr. President, stop playing politics with people’s lives. Do your job and give us our … money,” Assemblymember John Harabedian, D-Pasadena, said in floor remarks.

Harabedian, whose district represents survivors of the Eaton fire, is the lead author of the resolution, along with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, whose constituents include those impacted by the Palisades fire.

Irwin said families who survived the fires are nearing the end of their mortgage forbearance period. She said, “The long road to rebuilding and recovery deserves certainty.”

“The people of Los Angeles County can wait no longer for the federal support they need to recover,” she said in a statement.

This week’s resolution passed the state legislature’s lower chamber with 68 “yes” votes and zero “no” votes. Twelve lawmakers, including five Democrats and seven Republicans, did not cast a vote.

Following the vote, Speaker Robert Rivas’ office said that although “many” Republicans supported the resolution, a “handful of Republicans could not muster the courage” to join the bipartisan demand for federal disaster aid.

The press release from Rivas’ office called out the GOP lawmakers who did not cast a vote, including Assemblymembers Diane Dixon of Orange County, Natasha Johnson of Riverside County and Kate Sanchez, whose district spans both of those counties.

But five Democrats also did not vote. This included L.A. County Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor, one of the bill’s co-authors, and Celeste Rodriguez. Assemblymembers Avelino Valencia of Orange County and James Ramos of San Bernardino County also did not register a vote.

Staff for McKinnor, Ramos and Valencia said the elected officials were out on Thursday due to an illness, a medical reason or another excused absence. Eric Lopez, spokesperson for Valencia, said the Assembly member would have voted for the resolution had he been present.

Staff for Dixon, Johnson, Rodriguez and Sanchez did not respond to requests for comment.

Unlike bills that become law, resolutions are nonbinding and simply express a chamber’s — in this case, the Assembly’s — position on a matter.

According to the resolution, copies of it will be transmitted to Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and to each U.S. senator and House member from California.

In January, on the one-year anniversary of the fires, California’s entire congressional delegation also sent a letter to Trump, calling for additional aid.