Title
A MOTION requesting the executive provide a county response to support the people affected by fires in the greater Los Angeles area.
Body
WHEREAS multiple fires began the week of January 7, 2025, in the greater Los Angeles area and spread rapidly due to exceptionally dry conditions and hurricane force winds, and
WHEREAS those fires caused the deaths of at least 24 people and the forced evacuation of at least 150,000 people, and
WHEREAS the fires have burned more than 38,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 10,000 buildings, with estimates of economic loss as high as $150 billion, in what Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has called "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," and
WHEREAS the disaster has already adversely impacted housing security and housing costs for the people in the region and will exacerbate the region's existing housing crisis, and
WHEREAS the council has a history of requesting the executive provide a county response to support the people of other countries that are impacted by disasters such as Motion 16209, passed in September 2022, to respond to severe flooding in Pakistan, Motion 16108, passed in April 2022, to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, and Motion 15518, passed in September 2019, to provide relief for the people of the Bahamas who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The executive is requested to provide a county response to support the people affected by the fires in the Los Angeles area. The response plan should include, but not be limited to, the following:
A. Consulting with, collaborating with, and providing support to local nonprofit organizations that have established ties to the people of Los Angeles and that are already providing support to the relief efforts;
B. Leveraging the employee giving program established under K.C.C. 3.36.030, leave for volunteer service policy established under K.C.C. 3.12.225, and donation of vacation or compensatory hours to nonprofit organizations policy established under K.C.C. 3.12.222, to provide opportunities for county employees to support the relief efforts. The executive should develop ways to streamline the use of these programs to ensure support is delivered quickly and efficiently with minimal administrative burden;
C. Donating any county surplus resources such as medical supplies, hygiene products, and emergency supply kits;
D. Offering technical expertise from county personnel, particularly from employees in the office of emergency management and the department of natural resources and parks;
E. Collaborating with federal, state, and local governments that have committed to providing support to the people of Los Angeles to ensure support is delivered quickly and efficiently with minimal administrative burden; and
F. Offering technical expertise and other support on policies that provide increased housing supply, renters' protections, and labor protections as the region recovers from the disaster.