Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign legislation Thursday providing $2.5 billion in funding to relief efforts in Los Angeles County, where two massive wildfires killed 28 people and left behind a trail of destruction this month.

This is the most important city and essential city anywhere in the world,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom emphatically at a press conference today to discuss his L.A. Rises initiative, which he officially announced earlier in the day.

Recent wildfires not only brought lose and heartache to the residents of the Los Angeles area, they also scorched state, city and county politics. While the initial voting in the races for California governor and Los Angeles mayor is more than a year away memories of how politicians dealt with the fires and its aftermath will linger.