SUPS. HORVATH AND BARGER ADVANCE AFTER-ACTION IMPLEMENTATION BY MAKING OEM A DEDICATED DEPARTMENT
September 30th, 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA – Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath’s motion to restructure the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) into an independent, fully resourced department was approved by the Board of Supervisors today. The action followed the McChrystal Group’s report of their findings for the County’s After-Action Report (AAR) on emergency alerts, warnings, and evacuations for the Palisades and Eaton Fires. One of the critical recommendations is to address the limited staffing, budget, and autonomy of OEM.
“Change moves at the speed we choose — and when it comes to emergency preparedness, we are choosing urgency,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “To those who have suffered loss—in Sunset Mesa, Malibu, the Palisades, and beyond—we see you and carry your experiences forward as a call for change. Restructuring the Office of Emergency Management into a fully resourced department is the first crucial step to implementing the After-Action Report’s recommendations. I am committed to seeing each step through because, as a disaster-prone region, we must learn from every crisis—past and present—and build a system worthy of our communities’ trust.”
At the meeting, Supervisor Horvath’s motion was combined with Chair Kathryn Barger’s motion directing the Chief Executive Office to report back within 60 days on the feasibility of establishing a new OEM department and to outline a timeline for transition. The report will:
- Evaluate OEM’s staffing, funding, and surge capacity needs.
- Assess whether OEM’s current structure aligns with best practices in emergency management.
- Provide a high-level schedule for creating a new department, including program transitions, funding, and critical milestones.
Supervisor Horvath’s questions to the McChrystal Group following their presentation of the After Action Report is available here. As part of her remarks, Supervisor Horvath highlighted exhaustive Third District communications leading up to and during the fires. That complete list of community communications is available here.
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