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Emergency Management asks committee to fund new recovery capacity after recent disasters
Summary
City Emergency Management officials told the Budget Committee the department lacks a dedicated recovery division and urged funding to build in‑house recovery capability to manage long‑term disaster recovery and upcoming major events; they requested memos and support to stage a multi‑year staffing plan.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Emergency Management told the Budget and Finance Committee that it lacks a permanent recovery division and that recovery work after recent wildfires required reassigning staff from other duties.
Why it matters: Officials said recovery from major disasters requires dedicated staff and that ad‑hoc assignments during long incidents erode the city’s preparedness for other hazards. The department urged funding to create a standing recovery capability in advance of major upcoming events such as the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games.
Testimony summary: Emergency Management leaders said the department currently reassigns roughly a dozen staff to recovery work during major incidents and that creating a formal recovery division would allow sustained planning, community outreach, grant administration and continuity of operations. Officials requested the committee’s consideration of additional positions and said they would provide a memorandum outlining phased staffing and funding options, the functions those staff would provide, and how a recovery division could be scaled up for major events.
Committee reaction: Members asked for a cost analysis comparing contracted recovery capacity versus building in‑house staff and for a memo describing staged funding pathways and possible grant matches or event‑specific funding sources. The committee signaled support for the concept but requested more detail on staging, costs and funding sources.
Ending: Emergency Management will return with a budget memorandum laying out phased staffing options, estimated costs and potential funding pipelines for a permanent recovery division.
