Dodgers-linked donors, civic leaders pledge up to $100 million for Los Angeles fire recovery

Governor Gavin Newsom joined Los Angeles civic and private-sector leaders at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 12 to announce "LA Rises," a recovery initiative aimed at communities hit by recent California wildfires and backed by a philanthropic commitment of up to $100 million from Mark Walter and the Dodgers foundations.

The announcement paired private donations with state and federal coordination intended to speed hazardous-debris removal and start rebuilding. "FEMA sent a letter in partnership with the state of California to the U.S. EPA on toxic debris hazardous waste removal, saying we need it done in 30 days," Newsom said. He added that "they have been provided $175,000,000" to support the work and that debris removal would proceed in concurrent phases, moving to a second phase once property owners sign rights-of-entry.

Stan Kasten, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, opened the event and introduced the effort. "Over the years, we've experienced so many wonderful games... but in all of those years, in all of our 6 decades, I'm not sure there's ever been a day with an announcement more important than what we will be announcing here today," Kasten said.

Casey Wasserman, who helped convene civic partners for the effort, framed the program as a long-term recovery and rebuilding platform connected to broader revitalization in Los Angeles, including the 2028 Olympics. "This process and this journey we're about to start...is not about the next month or the next year. This is about what LA is gonna be like for the next 50 or a hundred years," Wasserman said.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a co-chair of the private effort, announced the foundation commitment. "Mark Walter, the lead owner of the Dodgers and the Mark Walter Family Foundation, as well as the LA Dodgers Foundation has now put up and donated up to a hundred million dollars to help in the recovery," Johnson said, urging other businesses and donors to contribute and saying he would focus particular attention on Altadena, a community he said risks being "left behind." "My focus will be on Altadena because we're gonna be left. Those people may be left behind," Johnson said.

Newsom described federal-state-local coordination intended to accelerate cleanup and permitting. He said the Army Corps has been engaged and that if private property owners cannot afford private debris removal contractors, the Army Corps can perform the work with federal cost coverage beyond insurance limits. "Once they sign off on a right of entry, they could do the removal for themselves through a private contractor or they can get the support from the Army Corps... there'll be no subsequent bills if it costs more than their insurance," Newsom said.

The governor also said the state has issued executive orders to streamline permitting, including actions related to CEQA and the Coastal Commission, and that the administration would seek to avoid duplicative local efforts while maintaining transparency and accountability. "We're gonna hold ourselves to a higher level of transparency and accountability...not just short term commitments, but medium and long term commitments until these communities are fully recovered," he said.

Speakers described several implementation challenges that remain unresolved: hazardous-debris site locations have not been finalized, exact program budgets and operational plans for the $100 million commitment were not yet available, and workforce constraints in the construction sector will require scaled apprenticeship and contingency strategies. Newsom said some site details and financial documents were still being worked out: "We don't have p and l's. We don't have financial statements yet. We will, and perhaps we'll have more details for you then. For now, we thought the safest thing to say was we're gonna give up to a hundred million dollars."

Organizers said they plan community meetings and outreach so residents can choose whether to sign rights-of-entry and understand options. The announcement included no formal votes or new local regulations; it was presented as a private-public coordination and philanthropic pledge backed by existing state and federal authorities.

Questions about precise site locations, the distribution of donated funds and timelines beyond the 30-day hazardous-debris target remain open; organizers said additional philanthropic commitments and operational details would be announced later.