Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, joined Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and federal, state, and local leaders to recognize the six-month anniversary of the devastating firestorms that hit Los Angeles in January, as well as the progress made and steps being taken to rebuild and restore impacted Southern California communities. Padilla vowed to keep fighting to secure additional disaster assistance for California and blasted the Trump Administration for dismantling key federal disaster programs.

Fueled by wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, the Los Angeles County fires earlier this year burned more than 40,000 acres — an area over three times the size of Manhattan. The fires destroyed over 16,000 structures, forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, and took at least 30 lives.

Months later, the fastest disaster cleanup in American history is substantially complete, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Small Business Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency among the federal entities helping Los Angeles communities rebuild. Household Hazardous Waste (HHM) has been removed from 100 percent of EPA-deferred properties, and the Army Corps has cleared over 9,000 lots of fire ash and debris in the Eaton and Palisades burn zones.

However, Padilla emphasized that more aid is needed to help Los Angeles communities recover, highlighting that “Mother Nature does not discriminate — natural disasters can impact any state, any region in the country, regardless of your political leanings,” as underscored by the tragic flash floods in Texas that have taken more than 80 lives. As California enters peak fire season, Padilla criticized the Trump Administration for their plans to completely dismantle FEMA, diverting critical firefighting crews from the California National Guard away from their core missions, and targeting immigrants and day laborers who work in essential sectors for rebuilding Los Angeles.

Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32) also spoke at the press conference. Key excerpts from Senator Padilla’s remarks are available below.

Key Excerpts:

• “It’s hard to believe it’s been six months. Los Angeles has been through a lot. Our country has been through a lot. Our communities are going through a lot, but if the teamwork of this year to date is any indicator, I know we’ll continue to get through. We’re going to get through, and we’ll be stronger and more resilient than ever in so many ways.”

• “Our hearts go out as Californians to the people in Texas who have suffered so much this last weekend, those who have lost loved ones because of the flash floods, and those that are just so anxious, waiting to account for missing friends and family. It is an absolute reminder that Mother Nature does not discriminate. Natural disasters can impact any state, any region in the country, regardless of your political leanings. Californians have risen up and stood for other Californians who stood up for neighbors across the country time and time again, and I know we will continue to do so after this tragedy.”

• “When I described to my colleagues that, yes, this was more than three times the size of Manhattan that was burned, it is truly unprecedented. When the fires broke out, we saw so many first responders, local law enforcement, fire department personnel, and others quickly jump to the scene, and through mutual aid, so many from throughout the state and throughout the country come to the aid of Southern California. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to quantify how many lives were saved as a result. How many properties were saved as a result? And so six months later, we continue to say thank you, ­­thank you, thank you.”

• “This is the time to be investing more in FEMA and empowering FEMA, not attacking FEMA or threatening to eliminate FEMA because the people of Texas are relying on FEMA as we speak. We’ve come to appreciate FEMA even more. Again, no region of the country is immune.”

• “And this is also the time, as California has done for so long, to respect and honor the contributions of so many immigrants in our communities, because many of them work in construction. They’re the construction workers that we need to continue the rebuilding process for our communities. This is absolutely not the time to threaten or terrorize construction workers and their families in our community.”

• “I’m proud to represent California. California will always answer the call to help our neighbors. … I’ll continue to fight for the communities of Pasadena, Altadena, the Palisades and others that have been impacted this year.”

Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here and can be downloaded here.

Senator Padilla has fought relentlessly to secure and protect access to desperately needed disaster relief aid for families in Southern California. In the immediate aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in successfully urging President Biden to grant Governor Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration to expedite timely relief to Los Angeles County residents impacted by these disasters. Padilla, Schiff, and Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) also led the entire bipartisan California Congressional delegation in urging Senior Congressional leadership to provide additional disaster relief funding and resources to help Los Angeles County communities rebuild. Padilla previously delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his Republican colleagues and President Trump to provide essential disaster recovery aid to California without conditioning it on the passage of partisan legislation.

Padilla has introduced more than 10 bills to help prevent and respond to future wildfires, including the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act, bipartisan legislation to combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive. Padilla highlighted the legislation after joining federal and state emergency officials for a tour of the Pacific Palisades fire recovery area led by FEMA. Padilla also visited Altadena earlier this year, joining Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), FEMA, local leaders, and representatives from the Small Business Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a tour and briefing on cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire.

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