Former Vice President Kamala Harris joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to view the destruction caused by the Palisades Fire and visit the Westwood Recreation Center, an evacuation site for displaced residents on Thursday.
They surveyed fire damage, met with first responders and service providers, and spoke directly with evacuees about opportunities for support and relief.
“I want to thank supervisor Horvath, I've seen your work up close in terms of how you respond to your constituents with a sense of urgency and a deep commitment to their well being. I want to thank the Red Cross for the work that you're doing,” Harris said.
“I've been to far too many disaster locations, and most recently before the wildfires here in Los Angeles, in North Carolina, at the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. And I want to thank you and all of your volunteers, all of the workers here. I do believe that in these moments of crisis, the heroes and the angels among us are revealed. And when I think about the work that is happening because of the leaders who are here and the folks who work with them, it truly is the best of who we are as a country, which is individuals understanding the power that they have to lift up the condition of other people, individuals who understand that in these moments of crisis, so many of the survivors of these crises feel alone and just need to have a safe place to go, where they are treated with dignity and a sense of community,” Harris said.
In her brief speech to the press gathered outside the Recreation Center, she spoke how extreme weather conditions are becoming the norm, “These extreme weather conditions have become far more frequent than we have historically been used to … Here in California, for example, we no longer talk about wildfire season, [in] any month of the year we are likely to see these wildfires occur and the damage that they cause.”
She concluded by thanking everyone in the Red Cross and the heroic efforts by not only the local fire departments, but every one from around the country that pitched in to help Los Angeles in this dire time of need.
“Former Vice President Harris has had our backs from day one, ensuring that Los Angeles County received the support it needed to respond to this disaster,” Horvath said, adding, “Thanks to strong partnerships with federal and state leaders, we are delivering resources directly to the people who need them most. No one is alone. We will continue working together to help communities recover and rebuild every step of the way.”
The visit by Harris raised suspicions about whether or not this was a pre-emptive publicity move building to a run for Governor.
“I have been home for two weeks and three days. My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them, and, most importantly, to lift up the folks who are surviving this extraordinary crisis, and do what I can do to to offer any assistance, even if it is a kind word along the way,” she responded when asked about a potential run, adding, “I am here and would be here regardless of the office I hold, because it is the right thing to do, which is to show up in your community and thank the folks who are on the ground doing the hard work. And I would encourage everyone, when you run into a Red Cross volunteer, when you run into a firefighter, when you run into a local elected leader, thank them, because they're doing incredible work.”
Recently, Topanga Canyon residents gathered to protest putting a toxic wildfire debris processing site, next to Topanga Canyon Lane, straddling the creek, where the Topanga Ranch Motel used to be.
Only a day or so later, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was going to use the parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach to handle toxic waste being cleared out of the Palisades Fire zone, despite earlier claims by EPA officials that requests to use this location were denied. Residents of that area too voiced their objections.
Similar concerns are also being raised at another site near the Eaton Fire processing site, Lario Park in Irwindale. Officials from the EPA have stressed that every precaution was being taken to ensure that the operation goes smoothly and that the materials are being transported in sealed containers on trucks.
Speaking to the Daily Press, Horvath said, “[The EPA] worked with our state partners to identify the sites where the hazardous household materials are being staged so their process, they wrap it up on site. It is contained before it is ever transported, and it is temporarily stored at these sites, but it is not being handled in the way that it is on site when it's being collected. So they outlined very clearly that this debris will never touch the ground in either of these areas.
“They lay out protective equipment to protect the environment from the impact. And what's really dangerous is leaving all of this debris uncollected. It is hazardous to our health. We need to get it out of there. EPA has been charged to get it done in 30 days, and so we are holding them accountable. And I told them that not only are we watching, but I know and speaking to the governor about this, because this was a decision made between the state and federal partners. You know, we need his help in making sure that these areas are cleaned up, because our families are going to go back to those beaches, and we want to make sure that it's safe for everybody after they're gone,” Horvath said.
LA County continues to work with state and federal partners to provide direct assistance, economic relief, and long-term recovery support. For updates on wildfire recovery and available resources, visit recovery.lacounty.gov.
