LA County Board

19. Protecting Eaton Fire Survivors from Fraud, Predatory Practices, and Contractor Scams Recommendation as submitted by Supervisor Barger: Instruct the Director of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), in collaboration with the District Attorney, County Counsel, the Director of Public Works, other relevant County Departments, and in consultation with other partners such as the Contractors State License Board to build upon and strengthen existing County consumer protection and wildfire recovery efforts, including within 30 days, convening a Taskforce to address and curb contractor fraud and other scams targeting Eaton Fire survivors. Direct the Director of DCBA, in coordination with the Office of Countywide Communications, within 45 days, to implement an expanded consumer awareness campaign to provide centralized, accessible information via the Recovery LA Website, and to develop communication materials on verifying contractor licenses, understanding home improvement contracts, recognizing common scam tactics, reporting suspected fraud, and accessing other consumer protection resources. The expanded campaign should also include targeted outreach strategies to reach wildfire survivors who may be especially vulnerable to fraud, including older adults, individuals with limited English proficiency, displaced households, and other hard to reach populations. Once developed, the Directors of DCBA, and Aging and Disabilities and the Office of Countywide Communications should distribute consumer protection materials through existing communication channels, community meetings, recovery resource centers, online platforms, and partnerships with community-based organizations; and integrate the work of the Task Force and the consumer awareness campaign into the Altadena One-Stop Permitting Center. Authorize the Director of DCBA to prepare and execute agreements, and any amendments to existing agreements, with consultants, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, and communications professionals to support the directives of this motion. (26-5423)