Costs from the Los Angeles Police Department’s botched detonation of illegal fireworks in South L.A. this summer have surpassed $1.2 million, even as most claims remain unresolved, bills continue to mount and residents decry a lack of progress.
Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council in recent days approved a transfer of $1,163,000 from the LAPD’s budget to “replenish” a special fund being used by Councilman Curren Price’s office to pay for repairs and other costs associated with the blast.
Angelina Valencia, a spokeswoman for Price, said those funds will replace money already spent or be used to pay invoices for services already rendered. More funding will be needed moving forward, as costs associated with the work have already outstripped the total amount pulled from the LAPD, she said.
What the total cost of the blast will be for city taxpayers is far from clear. Residents and local workers have said the efforts put forward by the city to date have been insufficient, paling in comparison to the amount of disruption the blast has caused in their personal and professional lives, and officials have promised to do more.
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