L.A. Rises aims to help the city as it recovers from the recent fires that destroyed thousands of structures.
Key to that will be a public-private partnership that will include a lot of private capital.
Newsom reported that more is coming in.
CA Gov. Gavin Newsom at Dodger Stadium launching his new public-private initiative, LA RisesHans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Weve received tens of millions of additional donations, the governor said.
He also promised the announcement of additional philanthropic resources.
Among the likely investors will be Johnson.
Magic Johnson on Tuesday (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
The former Lakers great and business mogul said his attention will be on helping victims of the Eaton Fire.
We want to confirm they have all the information.
after you snag the right information you could make a really good decision.
Johnson sees himself as a key conduit for that information.
Ive invested in that community.
I know that community.
I speak their language.
I will be able to communicate that message.
L.A. is in the tourism business and we are the home of big events, said Wasserman.
The Olympics in L.A. will be the largest peacetime gathering in the history of the world.
That event, he said, is an opportunity to supercharge the rebuilding effort and build back better.
This is something we have to grow our way out of, he said.
The 2028 event also offers an aggressive timeline for efforts at recovery and rebirth.
Newsom, whose own political career hashad its ups and downs, said hes familiar with such transformations.
We cant lose hope.
The governor stressed that civic philanthropy was just one leg of the stool.
He said reimagining how various strata of government work together or dont will also be key.
The whole idea of this is this is a completely revitalized region in mindset, not just infrastructure.
To get serious about housing.
To address some of these traditional barriers.
Trump said that he would ensure that any federal permits were expedited.
Newsom took up that banner today saying the process cant proceed the way it has before.
I didnt think they got the message or memo, so they got a second executive order.
The governor also said he engaged with the president on related issues, specifically permitting and debris removal.
His support in getting FEMA in this 30 day Hazmat removal is going to be critical, observed Newsom.
Newsom indicated he was cognizant of the lessons learned in the Maui fires.
As of Tuesday, 6,837 structures had been destroyed by the Palisades Fire, and another 1,017 damaged.
The Eaton Fire has destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged another 1,073.
Newsom said California unfortunately has also learned its own lessons related to fire destruction on that scale.
He cited the 18,000 structures damaged in the Camp Fire.
Were not going to say, You cant rebuild your home.
We can come back more climate resilient.
[We] can come back stronger.
How do I get engaged?'
But before that can happen, the rubble must be gone.
Phase 2 is when the Army Corps of Engineers comes in and physically removes the debris from properties.
Owners must opt in to that free removal program.
Residents can also opt out of the program and hire their own contractors to conduct the work.
Right of Entry forms became available today, allowing residents to opt in or out of the clearance program.
It was unclear exactly how that will work.
State and local officials are also working on issues that may arise in the construction phase.
Some federal actions may be complicating those efforts.
Federal ICE agentsarrested 188 peoplelast week for alleged illegal re-entry into the U.S. and evading immigration enforcement.
Such efforts areexpected to hit the construction industry hard, as undocumented workers are its backbone.
By some estimates, 40% of the construction industry in California are immigrants, observed Newsom today.
Even looking at the out of state workforce.
you’re free to watch todays full press conference below.
City News Service contributed to this report.
