LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council approved an additional $660,000 in funds on July 5 for victims of a botched detonation of illegal fireworks in a South Los Angeles neighborhood two years ago.
The council voted 12–0 to further allocate funding to assist recovery efforts for families and residents affected by the explosion, many of whom still remain displaced from their homes.
Councilors Heather Hutt, Katy Yaroslavsky, and Curren Price were absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
In June 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department conducted a controlled denotation of illegal fireworks seized from a residence on East 27th Street near San Pedro Street. The denotation resulted in an explosion that injured 17 individuals and damaged 22 residences, 13 businesses, and 37 vehicles.
On Sunday, police department Chief Michel Moore announced four members of the department’s bomb squad were disciplined for their involvement in the botched operation. In addition, an internal investigation resulted in the implementation of new protocols for the bomb squad to prevent similar events from occurring in the future, according to Moore.
“Even our best intentions cannot take this neighborhood back to where it was before this event occurred,” Moore said. “However, as a department, we remain committed to supporting the impacted residents as we continue to work to make this right.”
That effort includes having commanding officers of the department’s Newton Community Station meet on a weekly basis with the 27th Street Long Term Recovery Group, Moore said.
The city previously spent $3 million to support and aid residents affected by the fireworks explosion. In March, the council approved an additional $2.3 million for that same effort.
In 2022, the city’s Department of Housing reported 23 people in six households had been relocated to permanent housing. Eight more households were ready to relocate and were searching for affordable units.
