California Volunteers, governor’s office marshal thousands of volunteers at Pasadena and UCLA disaster centers

Josh Friday, a representative of California Volunteers, said this week that the governor’s office and state agencies have deployed thousands of volunteers and resources to help people affected by fires in Los Angeles, operating at a Pasadena disaster resource center and a center at UCLA.

The effort brings together federal and state agencies, nonprofit partners and volunteer networks to provide food, donations and distribution services to residents who lost homes or were otherwise affected, Josh said. “The message is we need you,” he said. “This is a time when for everyone who's lost everything … you're not alone.”

Why it matters: Volunteers and rapid resource delivery are a primary channel for immediate assistance after the fires. State officials said they are also taking administrative steps intended to speed recovery, including executive orders that modify some environmental regulations and provide schools and students more flexibility as communities rebuild.

What officials said: Friday said that FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and other agencies are present at the centers coordinating relief. He said thousands of local volunteers have been helping at distribution centers and food banks, collecting and distributing donations and preparing meals for affected residents. “We’re seeing neighbors help each other in really inspiring, beautiful ways,” he said.

Friday also described the California Service Corps as part of the deployment at the Pasadena and UCLA resource centers and said nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA have stepped up to provide services. On administrative steps, he said, “we've seen the governor issue an executive order on some environmental regulations … to make sure that we can build back fast and strong,” and that a separate executive order was issued to give “students and schools more flexibility to be able to meet the needs of our students.” Details of those orders were not specified during the exchange.

How to help: Friday encouraged volunteers to sign up through the state volunteer portal, identifying the web address for the state effort as CaliforniansForAll.ca.gov.

No formal votes or actions were recorded during the remarks; the exchange was a briefing-style conversation describing ongoing coordination between state, federal and local partners.

A note on sourcing: Remarks and quotes in this article are drawn from a brief public exchange with Josh Friday during a visit to Pasadena and UCLA disaster resource centers.