Service workers impacted by Eaton and Palisades fires receive cash aid from LA nonprofit​on February 1, 2025 at 2:56 am

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — It’s not just those who lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires who now find their world’s upside down — but also the service workers who supported the residents of these communities and the small businesses that were destroyed or can’t re-open.

“We work there. It’s like our second home. We go to work every day in the area. It’s hard to talk about it because it doesn’t even look the same. It’s just ashes,” said Starla Knight, who has worked in Pacific Palisades as a caregiver and in the delivery space for five years. She can’t put food on the table or take care of her family without her job which doesn’t exist at the moment.

So for people like Starla, the city of Los Angeles and Councilmember Imelda Padilla have partnered with ICON Community Development Corporation to hand checks for $250 to individuals and $500 to families of service workers who live in Council District 6.

“$500 it makes me feel good because it gives me the opportunity to pay a bill. So, I’m very grateful for that,” said Knight.

According to a Cal Fire estimate, there are 4,223 service workers in the Palisades Fire incident area and 6,497 in the Eaton fire.

Duarte residents packed a town hall to express anger and frustration over the location of a new processing site for debris in the aftermath of the destructive Eaton Fire.

“Gardeners, housekeepers, nannies, personal chefs, pool cleaners are all part of the informal service workers sector and integrated into our local economy. But, too often when disaster strikes, these are folks left out of traditional assistance programs like FEMA and that’s not fair,” said Padilla.

“I am committed to make sure that everyone is able to return home and that everyone is able to return to work,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

The city and county have established recovery centers that can also help anyone who’s out of work due to the fires. You can get everything from a new ID, to loans, and help finding a new job. To locate the closest recovery center near you, you can visit recovery.lacounty.gov.

Roughly 100 individuals and families will benefit from this first round of donations to service workers impacted by the fires, but the nonprofit ICON CDC wants to expand this program, saying they’ll match whatever other council districts donate.