House committee report questions distribution of FireAid's $100 million for L.A. wildfire relief

The House Judiciary Committee connected Tuesday released a study aft its ain probe into FireAid, the foundation founded by Clippers executives that raised $100 cardinal for wildfire alleviation efforts successful Los Angeles past January.

The probe — led by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) nether committee seat Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — began successful August erstwhile Kiley “sent a missive to FireAid requesting a elaborate breakdown of each non-profits that received wealth from FireAid.” Kiley expressed interest that the wealth had gone toward section nonprofits alternatively than arsenic much nonstop assistance to affected residents.

FireAid promptly released a broad papers detailing its fundraising and assistance dispersals. After reaching retired to each named nonprofit successful the document, The Times reported that the groups who successfully applied for grants were rapidly fixed wealth to walk successful their areas of expertise, arsenic outlined successful FireAid’s nationalist ngo statements. A reappraisal conducted by an extracurricular instrumentality steadfast confirmed the same.

The caller Republican-led committee study is skeptical of the nonprofit enactment done nether FireAid’s auspices — but cites comparatively fewer examples of groups deviating from FireAid’s stated goals.

Representatives for FireAid did not instantly respond to petition for remark connected the report.

Out of hundreds of nonprofits fixed millions successful FireAid funds, “In total, the Committee recovered six organizations that allocated FireAid grants towards labor, salaries, oregon different related costs,” the study said.

The committee singled retired respective section nonprofits, focused connected alleviation and improvement for minorities and marginalized groups, for criticism. It named respective long-established organizations similar the NAACP Pasadena, My Tribe Rise, Black Music Action Coalition, CA Native Vote Project and Community Organized Relief Efforts (CORE), whose activities related to occurrence alleviation they recovered “unclear,” without providing circumstantial claims of misusing FireAid funds.

The study — portion heavy citing Fox News, Breitbart and New York Post stories — claims that “FireAid prioritized and awarded grants to amerciable aliens.” Yet its lone illustration for this is simply a assistance that went to CORE, citing its ngo for aiding situation effect wrong “underserved communities,” 1 of which is “undocumented migrants” facing “high hazard of lodging instability, economical hardship, exploitation, and homelessness.”

The study said that $500,000 was utilized by the California Charter Schools Assn., Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, LA Disaster Relief Navigator, Community Clinic Assn. of Los Angeles County and LA Conservation Corps “towards labor, salaries, oregon different related costs,” which the committee said went against FireAid’s stated goals.

Yet the examples they mention arsenic suspicious see NLSLA utilizing its FireAid assistance to wage salaries to attorneys providing escaped ineligible assistance to occurrence victims, the Community Clinic of Los Angeles “expanding grooming successful intelligence wellness and trauma care” done grants to smaller section wellness centers, and the L.A. Regional Food slope allocating its funds to “mobilize resources to combat hunger.”

The study singled retired 1 group, Altadena Talks Foundation, from Team Rubicon alleviation idiosyncratic Toni Raines. Altadena Talks Foundation received a $100,00 assistance from FireAid, yet the study said Altadena Talks’ enactment connected a section quality podcast, among different efforts, “remains unclear” arsenic it relates to occurrence relief.

The report’s claims that “instead of helping occurrence victims, donations made to FireAid helped to money causes and projects wholly unrelated to occurrence recovery, including elector information for Native Americans, amerciable aliens, podcast shows, and fungus planting” dependable incendiary. Yet the grounds it cites mostly shows a scope of established section nonprofits addressing community-specific concerns successful a fast-moving disaster, with immoderate tiny amounts of wealth perchance going toward salaries oregon overhead, oregon groups whose missions the committee viewed skeptically.

FireAid inactive plans to administer an further circular of $25 cardinal successful grants this year.