A congressman from California is calling for an investigation into how $100 million in public donations for Los Angeles fire victims was spent.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said he learned none of the victims received funding from the millions raised from FireAid, a celebrity concert held days after the destructive Palisades and Eaton fires in January.
According to Kiley, the money allegedly went directly to numerous nonprofits, many of which have little to do with fire relief, he said on X July 22.
The congressman posted a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking the Department of Justice to investigate where the money was sent and who benefited from the funds.
“Tens of thousands of people in Southern California lost so much in the wildfires, including their homes and loved ones,” Kiley said in a statement July 23. “Americans generously opened their wallets to help the people impacted by the wildfires. Every penny should go towards helping those people rebuild their lives.”
In the letter, Kiley asked the Department of Justice to take urgent action to “maintain and restore confidence that donor intent is respected and that the intended recipients of these funds are made whole.”
FireAid was held at two venues on Jan. 30 in Inglewood, Calif. The event featured performances from Billie Eilish, Green Day, Lady Gaga, and Stevie Nicks, and several other well-known entertainers who donated their talent for the cause.
FireAid organizers with the Los Angeles-based Annenberg Foundation, a family foundation that provides funding globally, promised the public the funds would be used for direct relief.
“Together, we raised an estimated $100 million that have been designated for direct relief and will not be used for administrative purposes,” FireAid stated on its website.
The organization said it awarded $50 million to more than 120 nonprofits in February as part of its first round of grants. Some funds were expected to reach residents affected by the January fires through direct financial relief.
Another $25 million was dispersed during the second phase to support financial and housing stability, mental health and trauma services, and community infrastructure.
The group expects to award another $25 million in a third round by the end of 2025.
Annenberg Foundation did not return a request for comment about FireAid funding.
California state officials have not announced any plans for an investigation into FireAid. The California Department of Justice did not return a request for comment about whether the state was considering investigating the funding.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office declined to comment on why an investigation into FireAid was not planned. A spokesman pointed to social media posts made by the governor’s press team July 22.
“FireAid is an independent organization not affiliated with the state or the Governor,” Newsom’s press office posted on X. “The Governor and the state had no role in the FireAid concerts, or the organization’s decisions to distribute FireAid funds.”
The press office also referred social media users to an online complaint form when asked about an investigation.
“California has some of the strongest charity fundraising and ethics laws in the nation, and any allegations of impropriety should be directed to the California Department of Justice’s Charitable Trusts Section—a dedicated unit responsible for overseeing charities and nonprofit organizations in the State, for appropriate review,” Newsom’s press office stated.
In a separate fundraising effort, Newsom’s office said he raised more than $800,000 for the California Fire Foundation “in small dollar contributions during these fires from people across the nation who have come together to help Californians in their time of need.”
“Not a cent of these donations go to Gavin Newsom or his PAC,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click told The Epoch Times in an email.
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