In response to reporting published today by the Los Angeles Times regarding internal State deliberations on wildfire soil testing in the Eaton Fire Burn zone, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement:
“The notion that the State could simply reimburse Los Angeles County for conducting soil testing and remediation in the Eaton fire area was never a feasible option.
While that approach may have been discussed internally, it fails to reflect the serious fiscal constraints our County is facing. Los Angeles County is managing ongoing wildfire recovery efforts, the loss of federal funding for core services, and extraordinary financial obligations stemming from AB 218–the Gonzalez bill—including billions of dollars in litigation and settlement costs. At the same time, property tax losses have reduced County revenues. Under these conditions, asking our County to front the cost of soil testing with the promise of later reimbursement would have placed an unacceptable burden on taxpayers and threatened essential public services.
I am determined to not let Eaton Fire survivors navigate these concerns on their own. I am actively working with nonprofit partners, local researchers, and universities to deploy a pilot soil testing program that can help fill immediate gaps while longer-term solutions are pursued.
Also, Los Angeles County has made lead testing resources available to wildfire survivors, including household lead testing and blood lead testing through our public health system, to ensure families have access to timely information and care. These efforts reflect my continued commitment to public health, transparency, and supporting communities as they recover.”