Gavin Newson asks Congress in Washington for billions in aid

While the cleanup efforts in the fire areas in Los Angeles County continue, California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked Congress in Washington for $40 billion. After what is expected to be the most expensive natural disaster in American history, Newsom asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for around $5 billion for the cleanup efforts in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena.

The agency is expected to provide another nearly $ 17 billion for infrastructure and housing reconstruction. The remaining approximately $18 billion, which will be provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Economic Development and other agencies, will be invested in loans for homeowners and businesses and tax relief for fire victims, according to Newsom.

"Los Angeles is one of the most productive economies in the world, but it can only recover from this unprecedented disaster with the help of government," the Democrat told several lawmakers in a letter over the weekend.

In the fires that spread over about 160 square kilometers in January due to strong Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, 29 people died. More than 16,000 buildings burned down. Economists at the University of California in Los Angeles have calculated that the disaster will cost up to 164 billion dollars.

Meanwhile, protests against cleanup efforts continue. After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would set up collection points for hazardous waste on the Pacific Palisades and Topanga coasts, residents are warning of soil, groundwater and ocean contamination. The Environmental Protection Agency's plans to store pesticides, paint residues and gas tanks in the parking lot of Will Rogers State Beach, a particularly popular beach, in the coming weeks have also sparked outrage.

"Our coast is the last refuge for many people. It is not a garbage dump," residents of the region said in a petition. Meanwhile, the resistance is expanding. In neighboring Calabasas, demonstrators have repeatedly taken to the streets in recent days to prevent trucks carrying debris from the fire areas from unloading.