Washington – Rep. Luz Rivas had hardly started her day in Washington when her cell phone heralded at 7 a.m. The Hurst fire had broken out at around 10:30 a.m. the night before and – driven by strong wind and dangerously dry Los Angeles County District in the morning.
On the line there was Rep. George Whitesides, her new neighboring congress colleague, who hurried to Ronald Reagan National Airport for the first flight back to Los Angeles on January 8th.
“Are you planning to go? Do you stay “She remembered him and asked.” Let us coordinate. ”
The two agreed that Whitesides would immediately start on site to the people affected by the Hurst fire who broke out in Sylmar and bordered their districts. Rivas would call the federal emphasis authority and the White House.
She made a later flight to Los Angeles to him and rep. Laura Friedman, another newcomer to the congress, whose district of Riva borders on Rivas and was surrounded by Infernos. They had been sworn in as members of the congress just five days earlier.
MP George Whitesides (D-agua dulce) said that the reaction of the running fire was “unfortunately” one of the main reasons why he ran for the congress.
(Marcus Ubungen / Los Angeles Times)
“All three of us, that was our first instinct: we have to be at home. We have to assess the damage, we have to see what the community needs. And then come back, what can we do together? “Rivas said in an interview in her office in Washington.
“Although it wasn't me what I imagined one or month one for week, I felt prepared and ready,” added Rivas. “That's why we are chosen, right? To serve our voters and be for what they need from the federal government. And I felt that the La delegation did that. “
The democratic trio knew itself before he came to Washington. Rivas and Whitesides struggled together last year. Friedman and Rivas served together in the California legislature. Now the three members of the Freshman Congress have literally fake a partnership through fire.
A changed agenda
Rivas had expected a little time to get used to her Digs in Washington. She wanted to reorganize the seating area in her office and hang art on the walls. Three weeks later, the walls remained Kahl. A memento candle “new member orientations” on the side table was not illuminated.
Rivas and Friedman had not completed the attitude of their congress employees in their hurry to “open the doors and get the phones up and running” to help the voters, said Friedman.
After eight years in the legislature, Friedman stood with the attitude that she could “have the feeling that I could do the job, her new job at the congress.
“But what I thought was a more typical transition was of course interrupted by the devastating fires that my community traumatized in Los Angeles,” said Friedman. “So, like many others, my focus had to shift to support and recovery. But I feel very determined to do this work. “
As a trade engineer, Rivas had campaigned for the resistance of climate change. She went from the Californian Assembly Committee for Natural Resources to the same committee in the US house. Now you are clear that the forest fire recovery will take a lot of time and attention for your two-year term in the congress.
“We went through several large forest fires in California when I was a legislator, and that's why it is not completely new to me,” said Rivas. “(But) I didn't imagine that this is the focus of the first week.”
MP Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), whose congress district was surrounded by forest fires, said what she thought was a more typical transition … was interrupted by the devastating fires. “
(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
The most destructive fires in this season-The Palisaden and Eaton fires found in the districts of the experienced congress Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), which are weathered in another January a mass shooting In a ballroom in her district.
But entire parts of the Northlos Angeles district were also lit and covered by Rauch. The 27th district of Whitesides comprises the Santa Clarita Valley. In the south and east there is Rivas 29th district. This in turn in Anut's Friedmans 30th district, which focuses on burbank.
“We have not seen the enormous structure of structure that we saw in Altadena and the palisades, but it is like avoiding a bullet. It is a matter of time before we have our own next wildland fire, ”said Whitesides in a telephone interview on January 15th.
A week later, the Hughes fire broke out in his district.
A flood of forest fire laws
The California fires have baptized the new legislators in politics in Washington. With a stream of executive regulations by President Trump, it fell together – including several, of which Friedman said that the recovery could hinder California.
“We cannot stop firefighters to get California to safety,” said Friedman and noticed Trump's freezing of federal workers. “We will not be able to hire enough people to remove rubble and build new houses. So there are profound effects on politics that are designed without Democrats. “
The fires were still raging when the spokesman for the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-La.) First gave the opportunity to combine future federal financing for the disaster of California, e.g.
The Democratic Caucus of House-Achtiert by California representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance)-quickly falls on the proposal and reminded Johnson that the conditions were not added to finance previous disasters. Days after her term in the congress, Rivas joined the leaders of her party for a press conference in the Capitol.
“The voters who evacuated and were not sure whether their home was still my office and asked how they could help their neighbors,” said Rivas. “That's what LA is about, and it is what my Californian congress delegation colleagues are true on both sides of the aisle. … this is not about party or politics. It is about getting our voters the resources they need to rebuild their lives after this catastrophe. “
Friendman repeated the comments later and said: “It is really wonderful to be here and see how close the Californian delegation is.”
Group text messages chains are available in abundance, whereby the legislator shares articles, updates, meeting times and locations.
In the few weeks since taking office, Rivas, Friedman and Whitesides have urged laws to deal with forest fires or disaster reaction – including the accession to their San Diego neighbor and colleague, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Introduce laws To optimize the bureaucracy of the federal disaster reaction.
Whitesides, which co-founded the Megafire Action organization, also has the law on the Fix Our Forests-one law that passed the house last week.
“Unfortunately I ran on it,” said Whitesides. “With every campaign event that I have carried out in the past two years, I spoke of my fear that we would have a fire initiated by Wildland that swept into a dense community and brought a house to house moisture in the way. And I hadn't expected that we would not only get one, but two massive examples of this in my first week. That is exactly why I ran.
“Well,” he added hastily, “is it the only reason why I ran? I want to solve all sorts of problems. “
But for Whitesides, Rivas and Friedman, their term in the congress is already defined by fire and perhaps also, if the re -election comes, also determines it.