California Governor Seeks Extension of FEMA Funding for LA Wildfire Victims

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking the federal government extend disaster assistance programs for thousands of victims of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires who are still working to rebuild.

Newsom is requesting a 12-month extension of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program which provides financial and housing assistance to disaster survivors.

The extension would allow eligible survivors to continue receiving support through July 9, 2027.

According to the California Office of Emergency Services, nearly 29,500 households that may be eligible for that assistance were still in the middle of insurance claims, and nearly 1,000 households are still receiving federal Continued Temporary Housing Assistance.

The damage from the fires continues to be far reaching in scope and time. Claims handling over smoke damage has been called into question prompting the create of a smoke damage claims task force and legislation to create a framework for handling wildfire smoke damage claims. Last week, the California Department of Insurance initiated an action against State Farm following an investigation that reportedly showed the carrier has been mishandling insurance claims from the L.A. wildfires. State Farm has denied allegations in that action.

Newsom’s request follows months of coordination by Cal OES with FEMA to assess wildfire survivors’ needs. His office said the state plans to provide additional information in the coming weeks regarding assistance needs.

Top photo: The 2025 Eaton Fire. Photo by CalFire.

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