Jeff Prang: When the Legislature failed fire victims, local government stepped in

The January 2025 wildfires that devastated Los Angeles and Ventura Counties did more than destroy homes. They upended lives, displaced families, and forced thousands of residents into a rebuilding process that is complex, expensive, and emotionally exhausting. In the aftermath of such loss, government has a simple obligation: do not make recovery harder than it already is.

That principle was at the heart of a legislative bill that I sponsored, Assembly Bill 1253, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank.