[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[May 6, 1992]
[Pages 713-714]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 713]]

Remarks on Arrival in Los Angeles, California

May 6, 1992
    Well, I'm very pleased to be here in Los Angeles and thankful to see 
that calm has returned to the city; glad to receive that report just now 
from the Mayor, members of the city council, and from the Governor. As I 
think back today to what I said last Friday, I do think of the oath that 
I took when I entered the office, the Constitution's charge to every 
President to ``insure domestic Tranquility.'' This I know: We can never 
condone violence, because without peace there certainly can be no hope. 
We cannot begin to move forward, could not begin to rebuild until the 
violence had stopped and the order restored. We've met the first 
mission, and I salute those who have participated in it. And now, the 
good people of south central L.A. are free to come out from behind those 
closed doors to begin the difficult but extremely important process of 
rebuilding the city.
    Tomorrow I'll be meeting with community leaders, with some citizens, 
to see and speak with the people who have firsthand knowledge of last 
week's tragic events. I will assure them, as I can assure all the 
citizens of Los Angeles: The Federal Government is committed to help 
this city, help this city rebuild.
    Let me focus just for a moment on the actions that we're taking at 
the Federal level to help. Through my Presidential disaster declaration, 
FEMA, that's the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will make an 
estimated $300 million in assistance available to individuals and 
families in the city and county of Los Angeles. It will make grants 
directly to people hit hardest by the violence, personal grants up to 
$11,500 to meet urgent needs like food and clothing and medicine. Now, 
these grants will also help with temporary housing, money for repair to 
homes with minimal damage, and to provide shelter for those families who 
lost their homes. We're also helping with crisis counseling and disaster 
unemployment assistance for those who are now without jobs as a result 
of the disaster.
    A disaster field office is already up and running, and FEMA's 800 
assistance number is ready right now to receive calls in a wide array of 
languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, and 
Laotian. In addition, FEMA will assist the public sector in repairing 
and restoring public utilities like water and electricity that are 
absolutely essential to everyday life.
    Beyond these emergency grants, we will provide SBA loans, disaster 
loans they're called, up to $500,000 for physical damage and lost 
inventory. Homeowners and renters are also eligible for assistance under 
SBA for programs up to $100,000 for damage and losses. Preliminary 
estimates indicate that roughly $300 million in loans will be made in 
this area.
    All told, aid to speed the recovery process could total 
approximately $600 million. This assistance will help get boarded-up and 
burned-out businesses open again, up and running. It will help people 
clean up the streets, help the individuals and families who lost their 
home and all their belongings to cope with this most personal of 
tragedies.
    Finally, the Department of Agriculture has arranged for delivery of 
over 2,000 cases of rice cereal, over 2,000 cases of infant formula, 
nearly 250 cases of nonfat dry milk, and continues to assess the 
emergency food needs.
    This is a good beginning. The urgent need for assistance must not 
obscure the magnitude of the larger challenge that we face. Beyond these 
short-term actions, we must bring hope and opportunity to our inner 
cities. The aim must not simply be to recreate what we had but to build 
something better in its place. There must be no return to the status 
quo. Too often in the past, we've measured our compassion the wrong way, 
by budgets and bureaucracies instead of how many poor people have 
permanently escaped poverty. So this must end. And there's no question, 
the Federal Government has a terribly important, a fundamental role in 
ending poverty and despair in our cities. But the time really has

[[Page 714]]

come to try a new way. So we need to let poor families take back control 
of their lives by making our commitment to end poverty and despair 
greater than ever before.
    So this time, we've got to make certain to put the Government on the 
side of opportunity, on the side of human dignity, on the side of hope. 
Anything less would really be a disservice to the people of Los Angeles 
who need our help. Anything less would be unworthy of our great country.
    In 5 short days, Los Angeles has made great strides, and the number 
of people who deserve thanks runs up into the tens of thousands: The 
firefighters, the police officers who worked hours on end. There's this 
enormous corps of volunteers, I'm told, the churches, the churchgoers, 
those out in the communities organizing. The many people known and 
unknown who came to the aid of people that were hurt, people in need, 
who stepped forward to stop the violence, to save a life.
    Let me say something, something I promised myself I'd say the moment 
we got here, say this to every one of the people who reached out across 
the barriers of color and put their own safety at risk to help others: 
Thank God for what you did. You did more than simply save a life. You 
gave a Nation great cause for hope. And you proved amidst the hate and 
the horror that this is still the City of the Angels.
    I salute the local officials. I'm very grateful to the Mayor and the 
others who are here to greet me, from the city council to our Governor. 
I've listed what the Federal Government can do, but we recognize this is 
a team effort. I understand that on the ground already is a fantastic 
volunteer operation, one to stimulate the volunteer sector, and we 
salute those who are working in that way, too.
    So it's a pleasure to be here. I know I will learn a lot from what I 
see. And I salute those, all of them standing right here with me, 
incidentally, who have worked tirelessly night and day to restore order 
and to return the city to a city of hope. Thank you all very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 8:50 p.m. at Los 
                        Angeles International Airport.