LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass, Council President Paul Krekorian and members of the Sacramento Delegation today announced that the Los Angeles region would be receiving more than $300 million in emergency reimbursements. During a meeting yesterday in Sacramento, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services informed the delegation that of that amount, the City of Los Angeles will receive nearly $60 million in reimbursements for COVID-19 expenses from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The delegation met with California Governor Gavin Newsom in Sacramento earlier this morning.
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“We must continue to do all we can to join forces at every level of government to save lives and bring Angelenos inside,” said Mayor Bass. “I want to thank the Governor for continuing his work to lock arms with us to deliver for the people of Los Angeles.”
“State, local, and federal partners are united in helping our communities recover from disasters and emergencies," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "California is proud to support Mayor Bass and the city’s efforts to help Angelenos rebuild from damaging storms, access housing, and recover from the pandemic.”
“When emergencies strike, the City of Los Angeles doesn't wait for outside help; we act immediately,” said Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian. “The measures we took during COVID and our recent storms saved lives and bolstered the economy of the entire region, far beyond our City’s borders. I want to thank Governor Newsom for ensuring that the City of Los Angeles is receiving its share of federal funds to reimburse us for the outsize share of the burden we assumed. The Mayor and the City Council will never stop working to protect Angelenos in crisis, and we’re fortunate to have a reliable ally in Governor Newsom.”
City representatives have met regularly with federal officials to raise the issue of outstanding FEMA payments. In recent months, Mayor Bass met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Acting Deputy Secretary Kristie Canegallo, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. The other entities in the Los Angeles region receiving reimbursements announced by the delegation include the Los Angeles Unified School District, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmembers are in Sacramento working to secure critical state funding and flexibility as Los Angeles continues to urgently confront the homelessness crisis, build more housing, and advocate for expedited reimbursements to help address past City emergencies like COVID-19 and the storm earlier this month. The delegation includes Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.
Yesterday, the delegation met with State Treasurer Fiona Ma, State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, State Assembly Budget Committee Chair Jesse Gabriel, State Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener, Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation and Nancy Ward, Director California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.