January 26, 2024

REPS. CORREA, KIM PRESS GOV. NEWSOM FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOR TUSTIN AFTER HANGAR FIRE

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Today, Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Young Kim (CA-40) penned a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom calling on him to reconsider his decision to reject the City of Tustin’s request for a Proclamation of a State of Emergency, which would allow access to critical resources to maintain public health and safety, and mitigate impacts of the recent hangar fire.

“We believe that the serious health risks associated with long-term exposure to asbestos and lead warrant essential state funds to ensure the health and well-being of our constituents and their families,” Correa and Kim wrote. 

The members stressed that state funds are necessary in addition to engagement, adding, “[w]e have worked closely with the City, U.S. Navy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure our communities’ safety, but long-term recovery efforts will require additional funding and resources.”

This is the latest push in Correa and Kim’s efforts to raise alarm over the fallout of the Tustin hangar fire in recent months. Most recently, they led a bipartisan group of their Southern California colleagues in asking for detail on the Navy’s plans to mitigate impacts of the fire, and also pressed local authorities for more air quality testing to help mitigate the spread of the toxic debris across Orange County could increase dramatically far beyond the directly impacted area.

“With that being said, we would like to request that you reconsider making a state of emergency proclamation to administer much-needed state financial assistance for the City’s remediation efforts,” they concluded. “Additionally, we ask that you clarify your public statements made to the media last week regarding the $73 million threshold amount that is required for a disaster declaration and why this would disqualify the City from receiving the much-needed relief it is requesting.”

You can read the full text of the letter HERE.

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