Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has offered rare praise to Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Senator Rick Scott for their collaboration on bipartisan disaster relief legislation. The bill, aimed at assisting wildfire victims, passed the Senate on August 7 and is awaiting President Donald Trump's approval.
Pratt, who lost his home in the 2025 Palisades wildfire, expressed his gratitude, stating, "Major props to [Sen. Adam Schiff] and [Sen. Rick Scott] for working across the aisle to get this done." He added that disaster recovery is challenging and that financial relief "goes a long way," highlighting that "good leadership is very rare."
The legislation, known as the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act, would amend current tax rules. Previously, individuals could only claim disaster relief tax breaks if property damage from a federally declared disaster exceeded 10% of their adjusted gross income. For instance, an individual earning $100,000 annually needed to incur $10,000 in damages to qualify for a deduction.
Under the proposed law, this threshold would be removed for victims of disasters that occurred between December 28, 2019, and July 4, 2025. This timeframe encompasses the California wildfires that impacted Pratt and many constituents in Schiff's district. Additionally, the bill designates all wildfire relief payments as untaxable income.
Senator Scott remarked on the bill's importance, stating that after meeting with Pratt, they "fought to get this done" and appreciated Pratt's efforts in securing relief for wildfire victims. The 2025 California wildfires resulted in the destruction of nearly 13,000 housing units and caused damages estimated between $28.0 billion and $53.8 billion, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act could reduce federal revenue by $408 million between 2026 and 2036.
Other political figures have also acknowledged the bipartisan effort. James Johansson, a Republican farmer running for the California State Assembly, thanked Senators Scott and Schiff, and noted the legacy of the late Representative Doug LaMalfa, after whom the bill is named. LaMalfa, who represented a northern California district for 13 years, was known for his advocacy for agricultural interests before his passing in January.
Schiff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.