The aid would go toward “immediate and long-term recovery work needed to rebuild lives and properties,” according to the letter.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote to leaders of Congress Friday requesting nearly $40 billion in disaster funding for recovery from the Los Angeles fires. Newsom said the funding would “directly support these communities in both the immediate and long-term recovery work needed to rebuild lives and properties from this catastrophic event.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Congress to approve an additional $39.7 billion in aid to help Los Angeles recover from the catastrophic damage wreaked by the January firestorm.