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Subcommittee hears survivor testimony and state officials outline response, federal reimbursements and debris removal for Los Angeles wildfires
Summary
A survivor from Altadena described evacuation failures and losses from the Jan. 7 Eaton Canyon Fire. Cal OES, LAO and Finance officials described prepositioning, wireless alert backstop operations, debris removal by EPA and Army Corps, federal 100% emergency cost coverage (180 days) and long timelines for FEMA reimbursement and project closeout.
A resident of Altadena and dozens of state and federal officials briefed the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on the January Los Angeles wildfires, response gaps and the ongoing recovery effort.
Altadena resident Torreon Manor Crawford testified about losing his home and community in the Eaton Canyon Fire on Jan. 7. "I lived in Altadena, California for 37 years until our community was destroyed on 01/07/2025 in the Eaton Canyon Fire," Crawford said. He described late or missing evacuation warnings and appealed for accountability and better warning systems.
Cal OES Chief Deputy Director Tina Curry and Deputy Director Eric Swanson described the state's multiagency response, including mobilizing prepositioned resources across Southern California, standing up a State Operations Center and a Joint Field Office in Pasadena, and running the wireless emergency alert (WEA) on behalf of Los Angeles County for about three weeks while the county fixed its system. "We stood up a 24/7 operation within our State Warning Center so that we can instantaneously understand and relay those wireless emergency alert alerts on behalf of Los Angeles County," Curry said.
Officials said federal partners conducted hazardous-waste removal and private-property debris-removal: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed about 300 tons of hazardous waste and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is performing private property debris removal for households that opt in. Cal OES said the federal government authorized 100% coverage of emergency costs for the first 180 days; that does not extend to permanent repair work, which typically follows the FEMA public-assistance 75/25 cost-share model.
On funding and timing, Eric Swanson said it is premature to estimate full costs or final FEMA reimbursement because applicants are still documenting damages. He noted initial debris estimates of roughly $3 billion and that full federal disaster closeout can take several years — on average about eight years — because of project complexity and required federal reviews. Swanson also said recent federal changes are slowing FEMA reimbursement review times and that the federal BRIC program cancellation has already put about $550 million at risk for California projects.
Why it matters: The hearing combined firsthand accounts of harm with details on what state and federal resources are available and how they are being deployed. Committee members raised concerns about alerting failures, outreach to displaced residents, equitable distribution of recovery services and the complexity of reimbursement timelines.
Next steps: Cal OES said it will continue community engagement (disaster recovery centers remain open), provide technical assistance to applicants seeking FEMA reimbursement, and resume Judicial Council site visits in July related to other items. Survivors and community groups urged clearer, easier access to immediate services and simplified pathways for documentation and assistance.
