This Wednesday, the L.A. City Council approved a $5 million transfer to help residents and businesses that were affected by the Lineage fire that struck Boyle Heights earlier this year. The transfer is a portion of a larger $10.5 million package that was proposed by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado to assist with recovery efforts. Residents and Businesses will be able to apply for aid through a program run by the Community Investment Department, the details of which have not yet been released. The initial $5 million comes from the City’s unappropriated balance, and the additional $5.5 million will come from Measure A funding, a countywide half-cent sales tax.
The initial $5 million will be disbursed in this way. First, $2.5 million in direct financial assistance will go to more than 100 qualifying Boyle Heights businesses and Lineage workers in 90033, 90032, and 90063 ZIP codes. Qualifying businesses with fewer than 6 employees will be eligible to receive $2,500 a month for six months, and those with 6 or more employees will be eligible to receive $5000 a month for six months. L.A. residents employed by Lineage and experiencing economic hardship because of the fire will also be eligible to receive $2,000 per month for six months.
$1.8 million in direct financial assistance will go toward qualifying Boyle Heights households that were affected by the fire. This assistance should include, but is not limited to, funding for utility bill payment and emergency financial assistance.
The remaining $664,460 has been allotted for pressure washing, bulky item pickup, and illegal dumping responses in Boyle Heights through June 30, 2027.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Jurado said: “The emergency is still ongoing, and it won’t end until the city can fulfill the long-term commitment we made with them to set a new bar for the level of care that the Eastside deserves. The funding that we can advance today is a milestone in turning that commitment, the promise that Boyle Heights can once again believe in its own future, into action.”
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