Spectrum News 1: Sen. Padilla vows to continue fighting for wildfire aid, discusses bipartisan legislation
By Tara Lynn Wagner
California Sen. Alex Padilla vowed Thursday morning to continue fighting for aid to help with the rebuilding process after the January wildfires.
“We are going to keep fighting for the aid that California needs, period — at every opportunity. The way it will work, nowhere in a spending bill — supplemental or otherwise — will there be a line item or a check for Los Angeles for wildfire recovery. The way it works is Congress and the president will fund FEMA, the Army Corp of Engineers, SBA — departments and agencies that respond and assist with all disasters.”
Following a survey of Pacific Palisades along with other state and federal officials, they also discussed bipartisan legislation to address wildfires risks.
“We know there is much to be done, and that’s where the Fix Our Forest Act comes in,” said Cal Fire Assistant Region Chief Josh Nettles during a news conference. “This bipartisan legislation brings essential tools to enhance wildfire prevention and strengthen our ability to militate wildfires.”
The act proposes a center that said is expected to bring innovative solutions to the wildfire fight. Padilla added he was particularly proud of this aspect because it would centralize the experience, expertise and technology from different federal departments and agencies.
The act also priorities:
- strengthening community resilience by focusing on interagency coordination
- promoting fire resistant building methods and defensible space practices
- prescribed fires
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said priority No. 1 has been helping families that have lost homes or have been displaced after the fire. He added that the debris removal has also been the fastest of any fires across the country.
“We remain focused on ensuring we are working as quickly as possible to remove debris, make these communities safe to reinhabit, recover and ultimately rebuild. At the same time, we need to look to the future,” Crowfoot said. “And this we know: Conditions are getting more challenging — hotter and drier. We know climate change is making our wildfire crisis across the American west even more challenging.”
Padilla, who noted he had been in the area several times since the fire along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, credited team work by local, state and federal agencies for the fast work done in the Palisades.
“What we experienced here in the Palisades, and in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre in January, is not a rural wildfire,” Padilla said. “This is Los Angeles. This is an urban area. The way we respond to fires in urban areas is different than in the rural and forested areas of our state.”
When asked by Spectrum News how he feels about the delay in federal funding and the surrounding rhetoric, he said he remains hopeful.
“We have never conditioned aid in the history of our country, and we shouldn’t start now,” Padilla said.
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