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Officials open recovery centers, list services and caution on donation scams; major donations announced
Summary
Los Angeles city and county leaders described services available at disaster recovery centers, urged caution about fraudulent donation sites and announced major private donations and insurance support for affected policyholders.
Mayor Karen Bass and county supervisors outlined recovery resources available at established disaster recovery centers and urged residents to use official sites to avoid scams.
Bass said the disaster recovery center at the UCLA Research Park (Pico and Overland) opened full time and that ‘‘over 300 families visited’’ the first full day. She listed services available on site, including short‑term financial and housing relief, replacement of driver’s licenses and California IDs, and assistance from FEMA and the Small Business Administration for businesses.
Bass thanked nonprofits and private donors and cited several large contributions: she said the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund had received more than $24,000,000 from more than 23,000 donors with the first grants being distributed the next day; she said YouTube and Google were contributing $50,000,000 to organizations providing immediate relief in Los Angeles and that LA’s sister city Busan pledged more than $100,000. She also said the state insurance commissioner announced State Farm would offer renewals to affected policyholders.
Supervisor Catherine Barger said she visited a medical clinic lost in the fire and described community losses beyond houses, including businesses and health‑care access. She said the county is providing debris‑cleaning kits, protective equipment and that the Department of Mental Health would be on the ground to support returning residents.
Supervisor Lindsay Horvath urged evacuees to register with FEMA by March 10 (deadline provided in the briefing) and said the recovery center has on‑site staff from the county assessor, public health, mental health and other agencies to help with property tax assessments, prescriptions and family support. Horvath also described animal support: county animal care staff had evacuated over 100 animals to the Agoura Animal Care Center and provided a phone number for reunification assistance.
Why it matters: Recovery centers and clear donation channels are central to fast, safe recovery and help prevent exploitation of evacuees.
Ending: Officials urged residents to use recovery.lacounty.gov and calfund.org for official information and to avoid unofficial donation sites.
