Gov. Gavin Newsom officially requested nearly $40 billion in disaster relief aid to help with recovery efforts after massive fires tore through the Los Angeles area earlier this year.
Newsom’s request, made Friday evening, comes as top officials in the Trump administration continue to say they want to attach some sort of conditions to any disaster aid package for California, an unprecedented move.
“It’s all-hands-on-deck to support our fellow Americans and get them back on their feet to begin rebuilding as soon as possible,” Newsom said in a social media post about his request.
In his letter, Newsom said more than 16,200 structures were destroyed in the catastrophic wildfires in early January and more than 16,000 personnel worked to extinguish the flames in a disaster made even worse by hurricane-force winds. At least 29 people died in the fires.
It will take years for the total impact on California’s economy to be fully realized, Newsom said, but the nearly $40 billion requested would support immediate and long-term recovery work.
The request includes about $16.8 billion in fire response costs, debris removal and infrastructure repair, including roads, public buildings and utilities, according to the Washington Post. Nearly $10 billion would be for housing costs and other infrastructure, $2 billion for low-income housing tax credits over the next 10 years and more than $4 billion for economic development grants to help businesses restart in fire-affected areas.
Newsom’s letter was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana; Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York; House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma; and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut.
Both of California’s U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, said Friday they fully support the governor’s request. The pair and Newsom are all Democrats.
And Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat whose district includes the Pacific Palisades, where one of the worst fires erupted on Jan. 7, applauded the funding ask, “which my constituents urgently need in order to rebuild their homes and their lives,” he said.
President Donald Trump, Johnson and other Republicans have suggested disaster relief for California should come with certain strings attached.
Trump previously said — just ahead of his visit to the fire-damaged Palisades area last month — that federal aid may only be given if California establishes a voter ID law and changes its water management strategies.
Earlier Friday, Ric Grenell, a top Trump administration aide with ties to Southern California, suggested cutting funding from the California Coastal Commission, a state agency that regulates land use and public access along the coast. Supporters consider the agency a key environmental watchdog, while critics say its strict rules block development.
Notably, not all Republicans are on board with attaching conditions to disaster aid, particularly those who represent districts in Southern California.
Rep. Young Kim’s district last year saw the Airport fire, which spread across more than 23,500 acres for 26 days in Orange and Riverside counties, destroying 160 structures and damaging another 34, according to Cal Fire’s estimate. She said setting conditions now would set a “bad precedent” for future disaster relief requests.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, is also a no on conditions for aid, his spokesperson, Jason Gagnon, previously told the Southern California News Group.