Committee directs CEO to seek FEMA reimbursement for $8 million recovery planning contract

Councilmembers on a Los Angeles City committee on Nov. 17 debated whether $8 million in contracting for post‑fire planning and restoration work could be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

During opening remarks, a councilmember said the mayor’s office had identified $8,000,000 of work it believed was not eligible for FEMA reimbursement and that no special funds were available for the effort. City staff told the committee they had not completed an eligibility analysis beyond the written report and that some of the work would not be finished until 2026. The mayor’s office explained the plan emphasizes remediation and resilience across both public and private infrastructure, and that FEMA’s public‑assistance rules often exclude certain types of public‑infrastructure work.

The committee discussed whether parts of the work — a mix of fire‑protection plans, evacuation recommendations and hillside‑stabilization guidance — might qualify for partial reimbursement when tied to pre‑disaster conditions, and whether some costs could be charged to utility program funding rather than the general fund. A member asked whether earlier performance within the first 180 days of the disaster would have made work more likely to be reimbursable; staff said they could not confirm that without further review.

Councilmember (speaker identified in the transcript as the member proposing the amendment) moved a friendly amendment directing the chief executive officer to seek FEMA reimbursement where possible, to pursue other state or federal recovery funds, and to return to the council with details of any recovered funds by the end of the fiscal year. A second was recorded and the item passed; the roll call list in the record showed affirmative votes by George Southky, Concejal Plumfield, Concejal Hot, Concejal McCosker and Concejal Hernández.

“The office of the mayor is involved in these community meetings. Vamos a buscar reembolso donde podemos,” staff told the committee during the discussion, committing the city to pursue recovery funding where eligible. The committee also asked the CEO and relevant departments to clarify which portions of the contract are planning studies versus actionable construction work and to supply a clearer funding breakdown in the follow‑up report.

The committee’s action was procedural: it did not reallocate funds at the meeting but it directed staff to investigate reimbursement, report back with amounts recovered (if any), and continue coordination with the mayor’s office and relevant departments. The city will return to the council with a fiscal‑year‑end accounting of any reimbursements and recommendations about funding sources for remaining work.