Senator Newman Calls for Federal Funds to Aid Recovery Efforts after Navy North Hangar Fire
Sacramento, Calif – Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) today introduced Senate Joint Resolution 13 (SJR 13), urging President Joe Biden and the U.S. Congress to provide appropriate support to properly address the ongoing challenges facing residents and public services in Tustin, California, resulting from the devastating impacts of the fire at the Navy North Hangar.
On November 7, 2023, a fire consumed the historic hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station. For the next 24 days, the fire continued to smolder as debris was carried into the City of Tustin, directly impacting more than 1,500 homes, 29 local schools, and 14,000 residents.
In responding to the fire and subsequent recovery efforts, the City of Tustin has been stretched beyond its financial limits, with emergency obligations exceeding more than 100% of its 2023-2024 fiscal year budget. The overall costs for the response and recovery needed to protect the public and the environment are expected to exceed $90,000,000.
SJR 13, co-authored by Senator Newman, Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), calls on Congress and President Biden to provide $100,000,000 in supplemental funding dedicated to cleanup and mitigation efforts. The joint resolution urges the president to declare a national emergency, recognizing the severity and ongoing impacts caused by the airborne fallout from the Navy North Hangar Fire, as well as for sufficient continued federal funding for remediation at the fire site.
Senator Newman emphasized the urgency of federal support, saying, “The Navy North Hangar fire has inflicted a profound financial and environmental impact on the community. I’m glad to join my colleagues, in coordination with city leaders, in asking President Biden and the U.S. Congress to support all necessary remediation and cleanup efforts in swiftly responding to the pressing needs created by this devastating fire.”
In echoing the impact and necessity of federal funds, Senator Umberg said, “The Navy Hangar in Tustin holds a number of memories for both my wife and myself as veterans. The images of its burning are seared into our minds and painful to contemplate. But unlike those images, the cleanup and destruction of this historic hangar are not fleeting. The residents of the surrounding communities deserve an expedited and comprehensive cleanup of asbestos and the building’s other toxic materials to avoid long-term health problems. We don’t have the luxury of waiting for Congress to authorize funding while they grapple with a budget crisis. I’m proud to join Senator Newman in making this appeal to the federal government to assist the City of Tustin as they take the lead on this cleanup to protect Orange County residents.”
“The City of Tustin wants to thank Senator Newman for his commitment to secure federal funding for our residents and our City following the devastating Navy North Hangar Fire,” said Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard. “The fiscal solvency of our City is under threat as we have incurred over $90 million in cleanup costs responding to the destruction of the federal facility, and even that figure does not reflect costs endured by various County agencies, the Tustin Unified School District, and the Tustin residents who have paid thousands of dollars out of their own pockets to deal with the fallout of the Navy fire.”
“We respectfully urge Congress to move forward with all haste to consider Senator Newman’s resolution to help secure federal funding to protect public services in Tustin and to make our residents and businesses whole,” Lumbard said.
The introduction of SJR 13 underscores Senator Newman’s ongoing commitment to advocating for the well-being of the Tustin community and ensuring the allocation of adequate resources to address any long-term consequences of this environmental disaster.
Community updates can be found on this dedicated webpage.
To schedule an interview with Senator Newman, contact Brian Wheatley at 916.651.4029.
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State Senator Josh Newman represents the 29th Senate District, which is comprised of portions of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Bernardino County. The 29th District includes all or parts of the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Chino Hills, City of Industry, Cypress, Diamond Bar, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Rowland Heights, Stanton, Walnut, West Covina and Yorba Linda. Senator Newman is a former United States Army officer, businessperson, and veterans’ advocate, and lives in Fullerton with his wife and daughter.