L.A. County to receive $3.78 million in federal grants for wildfire recovery efforts

Los Angeles County will receive $3.78 million in federal grants to assist with recovery efforts stemming from the devastating and deadly 2018 Woolsey fire. The city of Malibu will receive an additional $47,000.

The Woolsey fire destroyed 1,600 buildings from Westlake Village to Malibu and caused roughly $5 billion in damage, officials said. At least three people died in what turned out to be one of the most destructive fires in county history.

Battling the blaze was made more difficult because local officials had to compete for resources as massive wildfires raged out of control in neighboring Ventura County and the Northern California town of Paradise, according to a 2019 report.

The award announced Friday is part of a more than $317-million fund California received for efforts to rebuild infrastructure after wildfires burned more than 1.6 million acres throughout the state four years ago.

“California remains committed to uplifting and supporting every community impacted by devastating wildfires as they work to rebuild,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Friday about the Federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery fund. “Rebuilding after communities are tragically destroyed due to extreme weather is an opportunity to restore economic opportunities and strengthen communities giving them an opportunity to heal.”

The funds, which were allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, are intended to focus help on low- and moderate-income Californians, but communities will have flexibility to prioritize housing and building projects.

The allocations include $72.7 million for Butte County; $12.38 million for the city of Chico, $22.5 million for the city of Redding; $6.3 million for the city of Shasta Lake; and $199.5 million for the town of Paradise, which was devastated by the Camp fire in Northern California.

“We are inspired by residents coming together and working in partnership with the state to rebuild their lives, restore economic opportunities and create a more resilient future,’’ said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with our federal partners in the Biden Administration to bring resources to communities faster and more equitably when disasters hit.’’

Vice President Kamala Harris announced in January that billions of dollars in federal funding, including $600 million for California, would be distributed to communities across the country to help with wildfire mitigation and recovery efforts.