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Dear Angeleno,
It's been two months since unprecedented wildfires devastated Los Angeles and the world watched as LA’s heroes – our firefighters, police officers, and first responders – fought tirelessly to protect our city.
Angelenos have shown unwavering strength and dedication, and I want to thank the countless local, state, and federal partners who are helping us lead the fastest recovery effort in modern California history.
Today, we lifted the 'Do Not Drink' order for all standing structures in the Palisades – a huge milestone that comes months ahead of expectations. To give you a comparison, this process took 18 months after the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California. We did it in two.
And last week, we celebrated the completion of Phase 1 of the debris removal process in just 28 days – also months ahead of expectations – that removed more than 300 tons of hazardous materials from the Palisades. In comparison, Phase 1 of the debris removal process for the Camp Fire took twice as long to complete.
Power has also been safely restored to nearly all structures in the Palisades. We've cut through red tape and bureaucratic delays to help residents and business owners rebuild quickly, assisted more than 8,800 households through our Disaster Recovery Center, provided critical relief and protections for fire survivors, and more. You can find details on our progress below.
Our work is far from over, but we won't stop until every business has reopened its doors and every family has returned home.
Record Rate of Utilities Restoration for Standing Homes: Today, we lifted the 'Do Not Drink' order for all standing structures in the Palisades – a huge milestone that comes months ahead of expectations. LADWP crews worked nonstop to test water and flush our systems. This announcement is the result of their tireless dedication and expertise. As a reminder, residents should flush all faucets to ensure clean water can begin flowing. LADWP will be on standby to test water on-site and address any concerns residents have. You can find more information on LADWP's website ([link removed]) .
Last month, LADWP restored power ([link removed]) to nearly all standing structures in the Palisades. Crews continue to complete more complex temporary repairs, connecting individual customers to restored circuits.
Fastest Hazardous Materials Clearing in EPA History: Phase 1 of the debris removal in the Palisades finished in 28 days – months ahead of expectations. The federal EPA removed more than 300 tons of hazardous materials, such as exploded lithium ion batteries. In comparison, Phase 1 of the debris removal process for the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California, took more than twice as long to complete. Phase 2 of the debris removal process has already been completed at some properties, speeding up the process to get residents back home.
Reinforcement of Burn Areas Prone To Slides: In advance of wet weather, we shored up burn areas by urgently installing more than 7,500 feet of concrete barriers and laying down more than 6,500 sandbags to protect vulnerable hillsides.
Bringing Partners Together: This week, I convened a roundtable of leaders from wildfire recovery initiatives across the region alongside Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and representatives from Governor Gavin Newsom's Office. We were joined by organizations including LA Rises, the Wildfire Recovery Fund, Department of Angels, Steadfast LA, Fire Aid, and the Red Cross to identify opportunities for coordination and align our efforts to expedite every aspect of our recovery operation.
City Ordinances Providing Critical Protections: In coordination with the City Council, I signed three City ordinances to provide protections for residents and local businesses impacted by the wildfires and during future emergency declarations. These orders seek to:
* Deliver tax relief for local businesses that were destroyed or severely impacted.
* Prohibit residential evictions for tenants housing people or pets displaced by the wildfires for the next year.
* Prohibit price gouging for housing, goods, and services – including contractor services for debris removal and rebuilding.
Disaster Recovery Center: We opened our Disaster Recovery Center ([link removed]) the first week of the wildfires to centralize critical resources from 70 local, state, and federal agencies. More than 8,800 households have received help here thus far. Onsite resources include financial relief assistance, debris removal and rebuilding help, lost document services, and more.
Impacted Worker and Family Recovery Centers: We're doing everything possible to support Angelenos who lost their incomes as a result of the wildfires. We opened four Impacted Worker and Family Recovery Centers ([link removed]) to help with job placement, financial assistance, small business grants, and other services. Let me be clear – these are centers you can trust. We encourage you to share this information with your families, neighbors, and friends who need help getting back on their feet.
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One-Stop Rebuilding Center: We opened our One-Stop Rebuilding Center to help Palisades residents and business owners rebuild faster by creating a single place to access everything you need from the City. We also worked with Governor Newsom's Office to ensure homeowners can access their original building plans and that newer building plans can be automatically approved.
Weekly Community Briefings: Every week, I host virtual community briefings for Palisades residents, bringing in experts to help answer specific questions. To date, thousands have joined these weekly meetings. You can access all past briefings here ([link removed]) .
LA Disaster Relief Navigator: In coordination with the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, we deployed the LA Disaster Relief Navigator ([link removed]) to provide tailored recovery resources for all impacted Angelenos. The online tool asks personalized questions to create individual Disaster Action Plans that connect residents to government programs, insurance assistance, home damage remediation, temporary and permanent housing solutions, and community services.
Emergency Executive Orders to Return and Rebuild: I've issued emergency executive orders to cut through red tape and bureaucratic delays to expedite all aspects of our recovery operation.
* Emergency Executive Order 1 | Expedited Community Rebuilding and Recovery: This order clears the way for LA residents to rapidly rebuild by cutting red tape. Specifically, it streamlined debris removal, established a one-stop-shop to swiftly issue permits, directed City departments to expedite building permit reviews and inspections, and more.
* Emergency Executive Order 2 | Expediting Measures to Protect Water, Beaches and Ocean From Hazardous Pollutants: Ahead of wet weather, I directed crews to shore up burn areas to mitigate the health and environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants on the stormwater system, beaches and ocean and to protect vulnerable hillsides.
* Emergency Executive Order 3 | Providing Tax Relief for Businesses Directly Impacted by Wildfires: Following my action to postpone the 2024 City business tax payment deadline for businesses affected by the wildfires, this order waived 2025 business taxes for impacted firms.
* Emergency Executive Order 4 | Temporary School and Child Care Facility Use: This order expedited the reopening of schools and child care centers by increasing enrollment caps and allowing damaged schools or child care facilities to operate elsewhere in the city to help families move forward.
Extended 2024 Business Tax Deadline: On January 20, I announced that the deadline to file City business taxes had been extended from February 28 to April 14, 2025, for businesses directly impacted by the wildfires.
Additionally, representatives from the SBA remain available in-person at the Disaster Recovery Center to assist all business owners. Apply for home disaster loans, business disaster loans, and economic injury disaster loans through the SBA at lending.sba.gov ([link removed]) .
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