RAFU STAFF AND WIRE SERVICE REPORTS
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) was among the local officials present on Jan. 24 when President Donald Trump visited for a fire recovery briefing in Pacific Palisades.
“In yesterday’s presidential briefing, I focus on the positive: President Trump emphasized time and time again that he would support Californians ‘100%’ in our recovery efforts,” Chu said in a statement released after the meeting.
She said she was encouraged by some of Trump’s remarks, but took him to task for not visiting Altadena, which was decimated by the Eaton Fire.
“I do thank him for answering the letter that I led asking him to come to this area to view the damage of the Los Angeles wildfires, and he did so within three days of his inauguration,” Chu wrote, nothing that he only went to the Palisades.
During the briefing, Chu urged the president not to overlook the victims of her district.
“There is a world of hurt there,” she said, describing the aftermath in Altadena as “apocalyptic.”
“I just want to make sure you remember the people in Altadena and Pasadena, and that you can come there and see how terrible the devastation is,” she added.
Cal Fire said Tuesday that the Eaton Fire has burned 14,021 acres in Altadena and Pasadena since Jan. 7, leaving at least 17 people dead. It has destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged another 1,073. It was 99% contained Tuesday.
Many residents of Altadena expressed feeling snubbed and ignored after the president opted not to visit their area, with some saying he doesn’t regard people of color as important.
“Wildfires have no political affiliation or political party,” Chu later wrote, citing how Trump did not mention conditions he would place on California or Los Angeles County to receive federal natural disaster assistance, as he had earlier hinted.
“These survivors desperately need federal aid and assistance, and don’t deserve to have it delayed or denied because of conditions placed on that aid. As Americans, we have each other’s backs during disasters, and as the president noted, no golden age of the country can begin without a strong Golden State.”