LA Waterkeeper’s Response to the LA Wildfires

Dear LA Waterkeeper supporters, partners, and the broader LA community,

It’s hard to put into words just how devastating this past month has been.

More than 40,000 acres burned. Over 16,000 homes and structures reduced to ash. At least 29 lives lost.

These wildfires have been the most expensive in U.S. history, with financial and environmental consequences that will ripple out for generations.

For LA Waterkeeper, the disaster has also been deeply personal. Like many of you, several of our past and present board members, staff, and partners have been impacted and displaced. And that’s before taking into consideration the longer-term and as of yet unaccounted for impacts on public health, clean water, and the broader resilience of our region.

Thankfully, the recent and anticipated rains seem to be offering some reprieve, but as the dust settles, the lingering question still remains – What comes next?

Or, more explicitly, how do we rebuild—not just to restore what was lost, but to lay the foundation for a stronger, healthier, more resilient future?

“While elected officials play political games, everyday Angelenos are left to bear the burden—facing displacement, environmental hazards, and uncertainty about their futures. This is not a time for partisan maneuvering or empty rhetoric. It is a time for action, rooted in science, equity, and the safety and wellbeing of our communities. ”

— Kelly Shannon McNeill

We know President Trump’s answer, and it’s wrong.

Let’s be clear: when politics and disaster collide, communities suffer.

To date, Trump’s response to the LA wildfires has been reckless, opportunistic, and completely divorced from the needs of those most affected.

The Executive Order he signed last Sunday is a plain attempt by the Administration to exploit this crisis to push its long-standing agenda of diverting more water to Central Valley agribusiness, while ignoring the real needs of wildfire-impacted communities.

Titled “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas,” the order directs federal agencies to override existing water management policies to “maximize water deliveries.”

This directive is based on Trump’s misleading claim that more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta could have stopped the fires from devastating Los Angeles. But as state officials and water experts have made clear, the real problem was never water supply—it was aging infrastructure incapable of handling the reality of our new extreme climate conditions.

Adding insult to injury, Trump’s order would not even send water to LA. It specifically directs the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to focus on the Central Valley Project, where 75% of the water goes to industrial agriculture, while the rest goes to cities and towns in the San Joaquin Valley, including Sacramento and Fresno.

As LA Waterkeeper’s Executive Director said in a statement: “Every American should be clear about what the president is doing here: In a time of extreme crisis and tragedy, he is using this emergency to line the pockets of his wealthy benefactors – in this case, industrial agricultural producers in the San Joaquin Valley – at the expense of the rest of us. Water is a big business in California, and it’s no surprise that this president is focused on further enriching the rich rather than meeting the needs of everyday Californians.”

While elected officials play political games, everyday Angelenos are left to bear the burden—facing displacement, environmental hazards, and uncertainty about their future. This is not a time for partisan maneuvering or empty rhetoric. It is a time for action, rooted in science, equity, and the safety and wellbeing of our communities.

In 1993, LA Waterkeeper was founded as Santa Monica Baykeeper to combat pollution in the Santa Monica Bay. Today, our mission has grown to encompass the entire LA region, but our core values remain the same: to use the law, science, and community action to ensure clean, healthy, and sustainable water for all Angelenos.

We won’t get there if we continue to allow divisive politics to set the rules of engagement and distract us from the real work that needs to be done.

We know that true recovery first starts with rigorous testing and proper remediation of contaminants harmful to human health.

We understand and sympathize that residents are eager to return home and to rebuild, but we cannot stress enough that this is a hazardous materials crisis. The fire has left behind toxic contamination—heavy metals, PCBs, and other dangerous pollutants. Rushing to rebuild before addressing these threats puts residents at immediate and long-term health risk, not to mention the unforeseen environmental impacts on soil, surface water, and groundwater.

A real recovery effort also means building responsibility and with long-term resilience in mind. Instead of rebuilding in ways that ignore the realities of our increasingly arid, wildfire-prone landscape, we must embrace smarter, more sustainable land and water management strategies.

And finally, we must invest in our future. Strengthening both building and water infrastructure to withstand future disasters. Replacing LA’s aging, inefficient pipes. Expanding local, climate-resilient water sources. Reducing California’s carbon footprint.

What we cannot afford to do is rebuild blindly, repeating the same mistakes that contributed to making this crisis so severe.

One thing is clear: the road to recovery will be long and challenging, but it is one we must navigate with care, foresight, and a commitment to real change.

So, what can we do? First, we must demand that our leaders prioritize public health and safety—not just in words, but in action. That means stopping the reckless dumping of toxic wildfire waste in communities like Azusa and Duarte, which already disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental injustice. It also means ensuring residents aren’t left to rebuild without adequate resources for testing and remediation.

Second, we must also push for long-term investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure. LA’s dependence on imported water puts it at growing risk from wildfires, droughts, and other climate disasters. Strengthening local water sources through wastewater recycling, stormwater capture, groundwater cleanup, and conservation is essential—not just to secure water access, but to cut the carbon footprint of the state’s water system.

Now is not the time for political posturing or empty promises. It’s time for bold action that puts people first.

For 32 years, LA Waterkeeper has been leading the fight for clean, safe, equitable and climate-resilient water, and we won’t stop now. Join us in holding our leaders accountable and demanding a better future for all Angelenos.

Our City. Our Water. Our Fight.

- Kelly Shannon McNeill
Associate Director
LA Waterkeeper

List of LA Wildfire Resources

In addition to maintaining our running list of FAQs, we at LA Waterkeeper are also working to provide a list of key resources on wildfire misinformation, relief assistance, and water safety advisories for our audience and the general public.