Watch CBS News

In fire-torn Altadena, House Dems urge against conditions on federal aid: "That is not what Americans do"

CBS News Live
CBS News Los Angeles Live

While visiting the wildfire-torn community of Altadena Thursday, leading House Democrats called for federal assistance without political conditions — a day after the Trump Administration rescinded a memo issuing a freeze on federal funding

While there's no longer a pause on federal funding, Congress must approve government spending, including any additional federal aid that may be needed for Los Angeles County wildfire relief, by a March 14 deadline. Last month, former President Joe Biden signed a bill averting a government shutdown which extended current federal spending through that date.

Until lawmakers approve more funding, federal programs such as the Small Business Administration's (SBA) disaster relief loans and aid from the Department of Housing and Urban Development could be at risk of not being able to continue operations through the end of the year, Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Altadena and neighboring Pasadena, told reporters Thursday.

She said this means the rebuilding of places like especially hard-hit Altadena, where 17 people died in the Eaton Fire this month, could be impacted as more federal money will be needed to rebuild the thousands of homes, schools and other buildings destroyed.

"They may be able to shift around funds to do some things," Chu said of the federal programs. "But unless we have that supplemental (funding), they will not be able to do the full extent of what they need to do in order to rebuild."

screenshot-2025-01-30-132536.png
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks about efforts to continue federal funding for wildfire relief and recovery in Los Angeles County, the New York congressman joining other U.S. lawmakers and local residents in the hard-hit community of Altadena on Jan. 30, 2025. KCAL News

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Chu and other Democratic lawmakers in Altadena Thursday, urging for a bipartisan consensus on funding for rebuilding and recovery in LA. He mentioned how Congress approved legislation in December ensuring urgently needed disaster aid was provided for areas of the U.S. devastated by Hurricane Helene and Milton last year, which left more than 200 people dead as severe flooding ravaged several states.

That bill passed through the House and Senate with overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans before being signed off by Biden on Dec. 21. Some lawmakers have spoken out against President Trump's proposal for certain policymaking conditions being set on aid for relief in California as he criticized the state's water management policies earlier this month. 

"We need to make sure that we have disaster aid without conditions," Chu said. "Wildfires know no political party. This is the United States of America, and we help our citizens when they fall victim to a natural disaster — without strings attached — just like we did only a few weeks ago in December for victims of Hurricane Milton and Helene."

California lawmakers approved a $2.5 billion legislative aid package last week, again noting the need for bipartisan support when they first announced efforts to get the bills passed. Last year's natural disasters nearly faced a shortfall in funding, with the SBA running out of money for disaster loans in mid-October.

"This is an all-hands-on deck effort. It's going to require local, state and federal engagement with a level of compassion, support and patriotism," Jeffries said. "That means we cannot condition any assistance to the people of Altadena, the people of Pasadena, the people of Los Angeles County or the people of California. That is not what Americans do during a time of crisis and need."

"There is no Democratic way or Republican way to respond to a crisis and an extreme weather event, like the horrific wildfires," the New York congressman said. 

Such unity across party lines was mentioned when the House passed the American Relief Act which ensured continued aid for last year's hurricane survivors, as Oklahoma Republican and Chairman Tom Cole noted last month.

"Disasters know no bounds — they impact cities and states across this nation..." Cole said in a statement from the House of Representatives. "In the face of recent disasters, Americans throughout the country stepped up to help their fellow Americans, and so must Congress."

House Democrats visiting Altadena were also joined by wildfire survivors at Thursday's news conference. Jackie Jacobs, an 88-year-old retired college administrator who has lived in Altadena for 30 years, spoke of how she lost her home and nearly didn't escape the flames due to evacuation alerts that were sent several hours late.

Chu and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger have both called for investigations into the delayed alerts, which were in an area of western Altadena that was the site of all 17 deaths in the Eaton Fire.

"My husband and I truly know what it is to be homeless, to be clothes-less," Jacobs said, explaining she was told her power may be shut off the night of the fire but then never received another notification from authorities. "We never got another message. We heard someone in the street say 'Get out.' And we did just that with only the clothes we had on. And everything now is in ashes."

"Only the chimney is standing. So all of our (possessions) — from childhood up — is gone. It's still in my heart and in our minds. But it's not there anymore," she said, explaining she is trying to get insurance coverage through the California FAIR Plan. "We will be working with them to see what the outcome will be. We would love to stay in Altadena. We don't know what's going to happen."

Some lawmakers and local residents have expressed fears of land developers preying on homeowners facing heavy rebuilding costs in the community, a historic area of LA which became a haven for the region's Black community over the last few decades.

"When red-lining and restrictive racial covenants prevented many Black families from owning property, Altadena became an anomaly," Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) said this month while announcing legislation intended to protect homeowners.

Altadena Town Council Chair Victoria Knapp said this rich cultural legacy, along with other elements of the community that sets it apart from other areas of LA, make it especially in need of preservation that only sufficient government aid can provide. Knapp and several other members of the town council lost their homes in the wildfire. 

Many residents of the close-knit community in the San Gabriel Valley have been grappling with not only the loss of their homes, but the destruction of their children's schools, their workplaces and beloved local institutions from churches to community centers.

"The challenge ahead is daunting. But one thing remains unchanged — who we are," Knapp said. "Altadena is not just a place on a map. It is a legacy. It is families who have lived here for generations."

"It is a community of rich racial, socioeconomic and generational diversity, a place where working families, young professionals and retirees have built lives side-by-side," she said. "It is a place where the Black community put down roots when discriminatory red-lining practices denied them mortgages elsewhere. They built something lasting here, something worth protecting."

"And that is why federal support is not just about recovery," Knapp said. "We must ensure that those who have called this place home for decades and generations are not priced out — that disaster does not open the door for outside developers to reshape this community in a way that erases our history."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.