Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County approves funding for lead tests at homes downwind of Eaton Fire
Smoke from the Eaton Fire fills the sky in La Cañada Flintridge.
(
Jules Hotz
/
CalMatters
)
Topline:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to allocate $3 million for residents who want to test their soil for lead. The funds are intended to help people whose intact properties are in the Eaton Fire burn scar or within one mile downwind, and who may struggle to get testing subsidized through their insurance or cleanup programs run by the federal government.
The full context: Last week, the L.A. County Department of Public Health announced that they found high levels of lead on a number of intact properties downwind from the Eaton Fire, indicating that the heavy metal traveled far outside the burn area.
Funding source: The pot of money comes from the Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program, which is funded by a $134 million settlement the county won against manufacturers of lead-based paint in 2018.
Support for LAist comes from
Who will test? The Department of Public Health will contract with certified laboratories.
Will you qualify? More information about the program will become available in the next 30 days or so.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
-
Hexavalent chromium is the same carcinogen Erin Brockovich warned about in the 1990s, but researchers say more study is needed on the potential health effects of nanoparticles detected earlier this year. Experts will answer questions at a webinar this evening.
Best of LAist