California governor signs $2.5bn relief package for LA wildfire recovery

Gavin Newsom has signed a $2.5bn relief package to help areas of Los Angeles recover from the devastating fires that have been burning for nearly two weeks. The funds were announced during a press conference on Thursday in Pasadena, just outside of Altadena, the town hit hardest by the Eaton fire, which ignited on 7 January.

The signing of the bipartisan aid package comes a day before Donald Trump is set to visit the fire-torn areas and amid continued criticism of the California governor and other state officials’ management of the state’s water supply. It also follows a new blaze, the Hughes fire, which sparked on Wednesday morning and quickly grew. It is now 36% contained and has burned nearly 10,400 acres (4,209 hectares), according to Cal Fire.

The largest of the recent Los Angeles-area blazes ignited on 7 January, ripping through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles and killing 11 people. The Eaton fire, which broke out the same day near Altadena, killed 17 people.

The money is meant to speed up the cleanup and debris-removal processes in the areas levelled by those two fires. It will also go toward the inspection permits needed to rebuild schools and homes, said Robert Rivas, speaker of the California state assembly, during a press conference at a Pasadena elementary school.

“This is not the time for politics and political games and finger-pointing,” Rivas said. “We need to come together to rebuild this great American city. And I urge President Trump to provide federal dollars quickly without conditions.”

Newsom told reporters that he hadn’t had any contact with Trump but plans to meet him on the tarmac when Trump touches down and pledged to give him a full briefing on the fires and recovery efforts. Despite Trump and other conservative officials’ comments about putting conditions on disaster aid, Newsom said he expects the president to “do the right thing” and reimburse the state for the money it’s spending on wildlife-recovery efforts.

“I sincerely expect him to do the right thing … that’s what we do in this country,” Newsom said. “There’s been a lot of noise, a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of positioning.”

“I’m grateful that the president is taking the time,” he added of the president’s forthcoming visit. “I hope he does take the time to listen to the folks impacted directly by these wildfires. I hope he has a chance to visit the folks in Altadena, not just in the Palisades. And I hope he comes with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.”