Advocacy

Your voice has power.

This page is your go-to hub for taking action on pressing legislation and key issues impacting our community’s recovery. Civic engagement doesn't require hours of your time. Whether you can send a quick email, make a single phone call, or attend a community meeting, your input moves the needle.

Here’s how you can help right now

Disaster Recovery District (DRD)

Learn more! What is a Disaster Recovery District (DRD)?

A Disaster Recovery District (DRD) is a specialized public financing and governance tool in California, enabled by state law, designed to accelerate rebuilding and infrastructure repair in disaster-impacted communities.

The DRD is one of the most critical tools available to help fund the Palisades' recovery. City of LA did this after the Northridge Earthquake. Altadena and the Santa Monica Mountains already have something similar.

What can it fund? Who governs it? Is this a new tax? Watch this 2 minute video to learn more!

Want more details?

  • Dear Council President Harris-Dawson, Budget and Finance Committee Chair Yaroslavsky and Honorable Councilmembers,

    My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a [displaced homeowner / resident / business owner] impacted by the Palisades fire. I am writing to urge you to approve the Resolution of Intention for the Disaster Recovery District (Council File 25-0006-S38).

    [TELL YOUR STORY HERE — 2–3 sentences on your specific situation:]

    • Speak to your recovery barriers

      • What financial gap or insurance shortfall are you facing to rebuild? 

      • Are you facing any other significant barriers (e.g., hillside lots, smoke/ash damage, mobile home park challenges, fixed income challenges)?

    Critical public work, including utility, infrastructure and community space restoration require extensive funding. The DRD is a proactive strategy to engage outside capital, accelerate growth, and create a positive return on investment.

    Approving the DRD makes direct fiscal sense for Los Angeles:

    • Restores the General Fund Faster: The fire wiped out roughly $5 billion in assessed value and $17 million in annual City tax revenue. Investing in public infrastructure gets homes rebuilt years faster, restoring that tax flow. The City’s own feasibility study projects a $1.4 billion net gain over 50 years.

    • Doubles Our Dollars Through County Partnership: The DRD is our only opportunity to secure an investment match from Los Angeles County. Without this district, the City will have to fund these infrastructure repairs alone.

    • Leverages Outside Capital & Mitigates Risk: The DRD attracts private and philanthropic investment, reducing the City’s burden and enabling a more complete recovery. It will directly support the City’s Long-Term Recovery Plan, preventing repeat disasters, reducing risk, and saving millions in future emergency costs.

    Please vote to approve the Resolution of Intention before the January 7, 2027 deadline. 

    Sincerely,

    [Your Name]

    [If you are currently living in the City of LA] Displaced Palisades Fire Survivor residing in Council District #

    (Look up Council District boundaries here)

  • Click here to submit your letter.

    This important step logs your support alongside the Council file. We need as many submissions as possible!

  • Click here to email your letter to LA City Council members and their staff.

    Link not working? Access the emails here.

Sign up for the PPCC Newsletter!

Stay up to date on the DRD, critical community news and more ways to get involved.

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Get involved!

The DRD is moving through the City’s approval process, and the window to make our voices heard is short. The proposal must now be reviewed by the Budget & Finance Committee, followed by (if passed in Committee) consideration by the full City Council.

To keep the DRD moving forward, the City Council must adopt a Resolution of Intention (ROI) by January 7, 2027. That makes the upcoming Committee and City Council meetings critical opportunities for the Palisades community to show support and help move the DRD proposal forward.

You don’t need to be an expert on DRDs to get involved. There are 2 ways to support:

#1 - Write a letter of support (follow the guide below)

#2- Attend the Budget and Finance Committee meeting at LA City Hall on 11/17

Save the date for 11/17 at 2pm! Showing up in person matters, we need as many attendees as possible. Further instructions (directions, parking) on how to attend will be posted soon or you can subscribe to the PPCC newsletter below for further updates.

Take action for federal disaster recovery funding

Los Angeles fire survivors are still waiting for federal recovery funding. We urgently need federal financial assistance so residents can return home, businesses can reopen, and our community can fully recover. Contacting members of Congress can help move relief for our community forward.

Follow the fast and simple action steps below.

Step 1: Contact your Senators

Contact California's two U.S. senators. Read the suggested script, copy it, then use the contact cards to call, email or post on X.

Read and copy the suggested script for California senators.
My name is ____. [IF APPLICABLE] I am a Los Angeles fire survivor. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Thank you for your leadership on behalf of Los Angeles fire survivors and for fighting for the federal resources Californians need to recover. Please keep up the fight to ensure substantial disaster recovery funding for Los Angeles is included in the next supplemental spending package. Thank you.

Step 2: Contact your House Representative

Find your U.S. House Representative below, then call or copy the script and paste it into their official contact form. Not sure who your Representative is? Find Your Rep

If you are registered to vote in the Palisades, your representative is Congressman Brad Sherman.

Read and copy the suggested script for California representatives.
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Communities across the country are still waiting for the federal support they need to recover from devastating fires, floods, and storms. Disaster recovery is a national responsibility — and this is a moment to show that the federal government will stand with survivors, regardless of where they live. Please fight to ensure substantial disaster recovery funding for Los Angeles — including the Eaton and Palisades fires — is included in a supplemental spending package, alongside the resources other disaster-affected communities urgently need. We are asking you to use your voice and your vote to make disaster relief a national priority. Thank you for standing with disaster survivors across the country.

Step 3: Help reach Congressional leaders across the U.S.

Help make sure key Congressional leaders hear directly from disaster survivors and the people who stand with them.

Read and copy the suggested script customized for each leader below, then call, paste it into their contact form — or use the pre-written post.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Communities across the country—including North Carolina, Texas, Utah, California—are all waiting on federal relief. This is the moment to show that the federal government works for all disaster survivors, regardless of their zip code. We are urging you to ensure disaster aid is included in any supplemental funding bill. Please commit to scheduling a floor vote on disaster relief and signal to the Republican caucus that this is a national priority. Thank you.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, Maine
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Your leadership on disaster relief has been bipartisan and principled for decades. Maine communities understand what it means to wait for federal help. We are asking you to use your gavel to write the relief that California—and LA, NC, TX, and UT communities—are still waiting for. Please commit publicly to including robust disaster relief in any supplemental funding bill. Thank you.
Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Our hearts are with the Spokane region as it recovers from the recent devastating fires. Washington communities understand what it means to wait for federal help, and how important it is for survivors everywhere to receive it. We are asking you to stand with Los Angeles survivors and fight to include meaningful recovery funding in any supplemental funding bill. Please use your seat at the appropriations table to make sure disaster relief is not traded away in any final negotiations and make that commitment publicly on behalf of fire survivors across the United States. Thank you.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Please make clear that the Senate cannot move forward without meaningful relief for every disaster-affected state. Commit to using every possible lever to ensure disaster relief is included in any supplemental, and to uniting your colleagues behind disaster survivors across the United States. Thank you.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] You represent a state that knows the real impact of when Washington takes too long. We are asking you to use your authority to make sure the communities across the United States still recovering from fires, floods, and storms do not fall through the cracks of the fiscal year. Thank you.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, Oklahoma
My name is ____. [Add in your own personal story here and why this matters to you] Oklahoma communities know firsthand what it means to face devastating disasters. When disaster strikes, recovery is a national responsibility. Please include substantial funding for Eaton and Palisades fire recovery in the next supplemental and use your position as House Appropriations Chair to help secure the federal resources survivors across the country need to rebuild. Thank you.

Step 4: Share this effort with family, friends, and neighbors here in California and across the nation

It takes every voice - here in Los Angeles, and across California and our nation. Please share this call to action with your network.

Find your U.S. Representatives

Use your full street address for the most accurate match. Your address is never stored.

Learn more about the PPCC’s positions

Review PPCC positions on recovery bills & initiatives

About Us

All information on this page is provided by the Advocacy Advisory Task Force, operating under the overall umbrella of the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC). Interested in joining our efforts? Email: advocacy@pali411.com