LOS ANGELES—Five Los Angeles city council members Wednesday proposed providing a minimum of $10,000 for city employees who lost their homes as a result of the wildfires that have ravaged the region the last two weeks.
Council members Traci Park, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Tim McOsker, Curren Price, and Katy Yaroslavsky introduced a motion Wednesday to assist those employees.
“Many of our dedicated workers and their families were forced to evacuate with some tragically losing their homes,” the motion reads. “Beyond the immediate loss of housing, families of these employees have also faced significant economic hardship, including job losses and the destruction of livelihoods as businesses burned.”
If the motion is approved, the council would direct the Personnel Department and the city administrative officer to work with labor unions and identify those employees who are in need.
Staff would also be tasked with reporting on additional measures to assist workers, such as the creation of a fund to assist city employees with recovery, flexibility in the use of sick time or telecommuting options, an additional 80 hours of paid leave, and other assistance programs the city previously implemented in the past in response to local emergencies and natural disasters such as the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
The motion will be heard by the council’s personnel, audits and hiring committee before a vote by the full city council.
On Tuesday, the council approved several emergency motions to boost recovery and rebuilding efforts, protect victims of the fires and analyze the city’s response to the emergency.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved similar motions to coordinate all economic and workforce relief initiatives, boost awareness of Unemployment Insurance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and ensure strict enforcement of anti-price gouging laws and worker protections, among other things.
Both government agencies also extended their declaration of local emergencies to ensure continued relief efforts and enforcement of safety protocols.
As of Wednesday, the Palisades Fire has burned 23,713 acres and was 19 percent contained, and at least eight people had died.
In the city’s jurisdiction, firefighters also responded to the Hurst, Woodley, Sunset, Sunswept, Archer, and Kenneth fires, which were all contained.
In the county’s jurisdiction, the 14,117-acre Eaton Fire was 45 percent contained as of Wednesday.
