Chu celebrates Eaton Fire survivors fed tax relief
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Alhambra, west San Gabriel Valley) is celebrating the signing of a bipartisan federal law that excludes wildfire relief payments from federal taxable income, delivering tax relief she has pushed for since the Eaton Fire.
The Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act became law last week, ensuring qualifying wildfire relief payments, including settlements received by Eaton Fire survivors, are excluded from federal taxable income regardless of when they’re received.
“This marks a major victory for Eaton Fire survivors and a testament to what Congress can accomplish when Democrats and Republicans come together to put disaster survivors first,” said Chu. “From the beginning, I have fought to make sure families who lost their homes, their savings, and so much more in the Eaton Fire would not then be punished with a massive federal tax bill on the very compensation they need to rebuild.”
Chu separately introduced the Disaster Survivors Tax Relief and Recovery Act, broader legislation that would let disaster survivors withdraw up to $100,000 from retirement accounts without penalty, protect Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit eligibility for families whose incomes dropped after a disaster, and expand housing tax credits in affected communities.
“Two out of three Eaton Fire survivors have still not returned home,” Chu said. “Nearly half have exhausted their savings or taken on debt, and the typical homeowner still faces an estimated $500,000 rebuilding gap.”
Mitchell cuts ribbon on Harbor-UCLA Outpatient Center
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (D-Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Compton, Carson) last week cut the ribbon on a new 370,000-square-foot Outpatient Center at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the fourth of six facilities planned under the county’s $1.9 billion Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Replacement Program.
The new center will bring specialized services — including maternity, radiology, cardiology and pediatrics — together under one roof, part of a broader modernization of a campus that has served the unincorporated Willowbrook and South Bay communities for more than 60 years.
Mitchell said the full replacement program is expected to be complete by 2028 and represents the largest infrastructure investment in Los Angeles County history.
“This building is about more than bricks and concrete,” Mitchell wrote in her weekly 2nd District Unincorporated Communities Newsletter. “During a time when we see continued attacks on access to healthcare, this is about the people who will walk through these doors — the children, families, seniors, and neighbors from all walks of life — who deserve to know that high-quality health care is here for them.”
The medical campus serves more than 3 million people, according to Mitchell’s office.
Whitesides introduces bipartisan bill to protect seniors from wire fraud
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, portions of San Fernando Valley) introduced bipartisan legislation last week with Reps. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) that would require financial institutions to place holds on suspicious wire transactions when a senior’s account shows signs of financial exploitation.
The Protecting Elders from Wire Fraud Act would let covered financial institutions place holds of up to 90 days on suspicious transactions leaving a senior’s account, direct institutions to reach out to trusted contacts associated with the account when a hold is placed, and provide safe harbor for institutions acting in good faith.
The measure builds on a Federal Trade Commission report that $334 million was lost to fraudulent wire transfers in 2025 alone, a figure Whitesides’s office says likely understates the true total given chronic underreporting of scams.
“We have a duty to protect our nation’s seniors from the epidemic of scams that threaten their financial security,” said Whitesides. “The Protecting Elders from Wire Fraud Act does just that, by allowing banks to hold suspicious wire transactions to determine their legitimacy.”
AARP and the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center endorse the legislation.
Barger honors Santa Clarita figure skaters win at nationals
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of the San Gabriel Valley) honored 12 young figure skaters from The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center in Santa Clarita, recognizing them for a full podium sweep at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating National Showcase Championships in Colorado last month.
Unlike traditional figure skating competitions, National Showcase events judge skaters on choreography, storytelling, character, costume design and emotional performance in addition to technical skill.
“Every single one of these 12 skaters finished on the podium. That is an incredible accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated by our entire community,” said Barger. “These skaters combine technical skill, choreography, storytelling, creativity, and emotion to bring their performances to life. They are exceptional athletes, artists, and performers.”
Barger noted many of the skaters began in The Cube’s youth programs, including “Learn to Skate” and “Camp Chillin’,” before advancing to elite-level competition. She also thanked the City of Santa Clarita for stepping in to save the facility when it was at risk of closing.
