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Committee backs exploring guaranteed-income and cash relief for wildfire-affected workers; CIFD to report funding options including CDBG reallocations
Summary
The committee reviewed a CIFD report on direct cash assistance for workers affected by the January wildfires and adopted motions that direct CIFD and the CAO to study options (including possible CDBG reprogramming) and return with feasibility and program recommendations.
The Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD) presented options for emergency cash assistance and for a guaranteed-income program to support workers displaced or economically affected by the January 2025 wildfires.
CIFD staff told the committee the department has experience running cash and guaranteed-income programs, and that it can scale a program to match available funding. The department said it had applied for philanthropic grants and a $3 million grant; it also noted that federal funds typically cannot be used for direct cash assistance absent specific waivers, but the department can use city general funds under the current emergency declaration. CIFD added that HUD waivers can loosen program rules (for example, lifting public-service caps for a limited time) and that CDBG or other city funding could potentially be repurposed if legally feasible.
Public commenters urged support for a "We Fund" program to assist displaced workers including landscapers, domestic workers and other daily-wage earners. Luz Castro of Inclusive Action described an open-air worker relief fund the group launched after the fires and said, "we have raised over $2,500,000 providing $500 in cash assistance to workers that have been impacted." Multiple community groups including the Alliance for a Better Community and CHIRLA representatives supported expanding cash assistance.
Council members discussed options and approved a committee motion that adopted CIFD recommendations and added an instruction from Councilmember Sotomayor Martinez asking CIFD to report on the feasibility of reprogramming up to $1 million of the program-year 2024-25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for emergency assistance initiatives, including rental assistance, consistent with HUD rules. The committee also requested CIFD and the CAO to return with details on how any program would coordinate with county and philanthropic relief efforts to avoid duplication and ensure coverage of mixed-status and uninsured households.
The committee voted to approve the motion and the related reporting instructions; the clerk recorded four ayes. CIFD emphasized the scale of workers affected and the need for rapid, coordinated action with county and philanthropic partners.
Ending: CIFD will report back with feasibility analyses and program designs (funding options, eligibility, administrative approach) and the CAO and CLA were included in the requested follow-up on potential funding sources and CDBG reprogramming.
