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California: Governor Newsom advocates for disaster recovery and stronger crisis response in Washington, D.C.

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May 19, 2026

Governor Newsom advocates for disaster recovery and stronger crisis response in Washington, D.C.

What you need to know: Governor Newsom met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to advocate for issues impacting Californians, including Los Angeles fire recovery and pollution from the Tijuana River.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Governor Gavin Newsom today is in Washington, D.C., meeting with federal officials on issues affecting California and its nearly 40 million residents. Today, the Governor met with Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to discuss wildfire recovery efforts and funding in Los Angeles, including ongoing contamination in the federally managed Tijuana River between San Diego County and Mexico.

See Governor Newsom's discuss the meeting here.

I appreciated the opportunity to meet with EPA Administrator Zeldin to discuss issues that matter deeply to Californians as we work together to chart the best path forward. California will continue to advocate for communities recovering from the 2025 Los Angeles firestorms and for residents impacted by the ongoing crisis tied to the federally managed Tijuana River. I look forward to continued engagement with the federal government on these critical challenges and to making meaningful progress together.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The hour-long meeting in Zeldin's Washington, D.C. office focused on federal efforts to step up inter-agency cooperation and monitoring of the Tijuana River, as well as pending federal aid to help the Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena with critical infrastructure repairs, mortgage assistance, and insurance issues.

Addressing the Tijuana River crisis

The Governor continues to advocate for the Trump administration to fund repairs and quickly complete infrastructure to protect public health and end the environmental crisis at the Tijuana River, which is under federal jurisdiction. The state has called on the federal government to:
  • Work with Mexico to ensure the full suite of projects negotiated to address this crisis are funded and implemented.
  • Repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In 2024, Governor Newsom secured critical funding and support to address cross-border pollution from the Tijuana River, urging the White House, the State Department, U.S. EPA, and Congress to take action and dedicate more funds to the International Wastewater Treatment Plant — the federal facility that treats Tijuana sewage before it reaches the Pacific Ocean — which resulted in an additional $100 million federal investment. California will continue to assist the federal government in moving federal responsibilities forward.

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Since 2019, California has allocated approximately $38 million for Tijuana River water quality improvements, including:
  • $1 million to fund Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
  • $9 million to operate and maintain Goat Canyon sediment and trash basins.
  • $4.7 million to Rural Community Assistance Corporation's Tijuana River Trash Boom pilot project.
  • $14.25 million for the Smuggler's Gulch Improvement Project.
  • $3.3 million for the Tijuana River Valley Habitat and Hydrology Restoration Project.
  • $3 million to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters and help measure the effectiveness of potential projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
  • $2.7 million to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District allocated for 10,000 air purifiers.

The state is also providing approximately $46 million in Proposition 4 funding administered by the State Water Board for projects to address water quality problems in the California-Mexico cross-border rivers and coastal waters impacted by the Tijuana River crisis.

Supporting LA recovery

Governor Newsom and his administration have worked hand in hand with survivors and communities impacted by the 2025 Los Angeles area firestorms to help communities recover and rebuild stronger — cutting red tape, speeding permitting, and providing direct relief.

Last week, the Governor announced an additional $100 million proposal for the state to help close the financing gap for survivors rebuilding their homes. This adds additional relief to the Governor's many efforts, including the CalAssist program, which provides survivors with $100,000 of mortgage relief for a period of one year.

On May 8, the Governor announced that the state has also requested a 12-month extension of federal disaster assistance for Los Angeles fire survivors to ensure thousands of families can continue accessing housing and financial support as they rebuild.

California is requesting a 12-month extension of the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides financial and housing assistance to disaster survivors. The extension would allow eligible survivors to continue receiving support through July 9, 2027.

The state has processed and submitted more than $1.5 billion in FEMA reimbursement claims for emergency response operations, infrastructure repair, and public facility restoration. Federal reimbursements are drawn down as FEMA approves claims. Currently, FEMA has obligated only $37 million for these projects.

California has advanced all necessary state matching funds to ensure recovery work continues without delay, including debris removal from more than 12,000 properties, emergency housing assistance for thousands of families and reconstruction of damaged schools and public facilities. The administration has streamlined permitting processes, deployed strike teams to assist survivors navigating insurance claims and FEMA applications, and established one-stop recovery centers that have served more than 50,000 survivors.

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However, Congress has failed to pass disaster supplemental appropriations to provide long-term recovery funding for communities devastated by the Eaton and Palisades fires, including affordable housing reconstruction, economic recovery and community resilience programs.

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