California Wildfires

Magic Johnson, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter join LA Rises wildfires recovery effort

The philanthropic effort will support city and county rebuilding efforts after the January wildfires in Los Angeles County.

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Lakers great Magic Johnson and Dodgers chairman Mark Walter are two of the big names behind a private-sector initiative launched Tuesday to help rebuild Los Angeles after the deadly January wildfires.

LA Rises will provide financial support from private sectors to rebuild areas in communities that were damaged and destroyed by the fires, including the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades. Walter, Johnson and Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairperson and president, will lead and recruit others to the philanthropic effort aimed at raising funds for resources to help those communities.

"This city always finds a way to come together and has done that in these fires that have just ruined so many people's live," Johnson said at a Dodger Stadium news conference.

The Mark Walter Family Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation provided an initial commitment of $100 million, according to an announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.

"The LA fires have wreaked havoc on LA's neighborhoods," Walter said. "It's time for those with means to come forward and make a positive impact to build back better."

Newsom visited Dodger Stadium Tuesday to announce the program, which will support city and county rebuilding efforts.

"We're bringing together the best resources and biggest hearts across California to ensure that every Angeleno -- no matter their race, socioeconomic status, or neighborhood -- has a chance to rebuild and thrive," Johnson said. "This isn't just about recovery; it's about restoring communities while also making them more resilient and better than before."

More than 9,400 structures have been destroyed in the Eaton Fire with another 1,070 damaged. The Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 6,800 structures and damaged about 970.

Firefighters are nearing 100-percent containment on the two fires, among the deadliest and most destructive on record in California.

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