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.

Mark Walter Family Foundation and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation have provided an initial commitment of $100 million.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the creation of LA Rises, a recovery initiative that’s going to bring together private sector leaders to support rebuilding efforts in the wake of the Southern California wildfires.