In a show of optimism that might rival a caffeine-fueled startup pitch, Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced a whopping $24 million to help Los Angeles rise from the ashes of January’s firestorms. Yes, that’s right! Just when you thought it was safe to stop thinking about wildfires, Newsom drops this timely bit of news like it’s the hottest new app launch.

The Governor made this big reveal during a pit stop on his Jobs First tour. While some were dazzling with California casual vibes, others were busy trying hard to ignore the staggering number of charred neighborhoods and displaced residents. The funding will be part of a larger strategy, dubbed the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint, which aims to rejuvenate the LA economy and address the glaring inequalities that make us roll our eyes while we sip overpriced lattes.

Here’s a quick breakdown of where all that cash is headed:

• $10 million to the LA Rises initiative, aimed at small business relief for those devastated by the disasters. Because nothing says ‘recovery’ like helping multi-millionaire corporations who barely pay their workers.
• $3 million toward the Los Angeles Jobs First Collaborative. This is all about shoring up support for businesses that… let’s face it, should have been better prepared for this kind of crisis.
• $11 million to build something called High Road Training Partnerships. Sounds fancy, right? It’s basically workforce training for locals, who are probably thinking, “Thanks, but we really just need homes”.

Local leaders have hopped on the praise train, feeding the narrative of Newsom as this economic savior, while the camera zooms in on their community council meetings, where they hand out participation trophies disguised as support funds.

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) especially loves the idea that this blueprint will help students get jobs, because why not add a sprinkle of opportunity onto a pile of ashes? Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra) proclaimed that recovery efforts would draw on higher education institutions, but we all know that’s unlikely when tuition prices could outlive us.

Critics could argue that this revitalization initiative smacks of capitalism dressed in progressive rhetoric, with billionaires strutting as community heroes. If we could crowdfund a dream here, perhaps LA should be investing more in community-led solutions rather than throwing money at corporate needs.

At the end of the day, as Mayor Karen Bass pointed out, urgent progress is underway. Maybe we’ll finally see those burned-down buildings replaced with spaces that don’t leave the rest of us asking, “What were they thinking?”

In a state riddled with inequities and inefficiencies, we can dream of a time when community-focused initiatives don’t just feel like band-aids on bullet wounds. Until then, cheers to burning down the old ways and rising like a phoenix… or at least a tired, restructured version of ourselves.