Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, Mayor Karen Bass and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath described the rollout of recovery services, emphasized FEMA support and urged caution about scams and health risks from smoke.

"FEMA staff have been at seven county libraries plus the Alhambra library providing support to individuals who are seeking FEMA relief. Tomorrow, these services will transition to centralized assistance centers: one at Pasadena City College and the other at UCLA Research Park," Chair Kathryn Barger said, and she directed residents to recovery.lacounty.gov for preliminary damage maps and program information.

Mayor Karen Bass said the UCLA Research Park (formerly Westside Pavilion) local assistance center will operate from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week and include representatives from more than 20 city departments and state and federal agencies to help residents apply for disaster loans, replace vital records and access mental-health referrals.

Barger and Mayor Bass praised FEMA's presence and said the governor issued executive orders to streamline rebuilding and debris removal to speed recovery and reduce delay. Barger said she will advocate for additional loan and housing solutions for uninsured residents.

District Attorney Nathan Hockman and Chair Barger warned of fraud and price gouging: Hockman said prosecutors will pursue price gouging and fraud schemes and urged residents to use vetted portals such as recovery.lacounty.gov and Emergency Network Los Angeles (enla.gov) when donating or seeking assistance.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath provided public-health and service updates: Metro fares remained suspended while conditions persisted; the county launched recovery.lacounty.gov with initial damage assessments and maps; and the Department of Public Health was distributing N95 masks at evacuation shelters. Horvath listed school closures for specific campuses and named beaches to avoid because of ocean contamination.

Why this matters: Recovery centers and FEMA assistance are central to residents' ability to access lodging, emergency funds and documentation needed to rebuild; concurrent warnings about scams aim to protect evacuees from fraudulent solicitations.

Officials urged people to use official county and city websites for verified information and to be cautious of unsolicited fundraisers or offers of assistance.