Fact check: What were the total costs of property damage during the Los Angeles civil unrest in June 2025?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the total costs of the Los Angeles civil unrest in June 2025 are estimated at nearly $20 million ^[1]. This figure represents the comprehensive financial impact on the city, not just property damage alone.

The cost breakdown includes:

• Los Angeles Police Department expenditures: $16.9 million ^[1]
• Police overtime: $11.7 million
• Damage repairs: $780,601
• Additional city costs bringing the total to nearly $20 million according to Matt Szabo, the city's top budget analyst ^[1]

The unrest involved 23 businesses being looted during four days of protests, prompting Mayor Karen Bass to impose a curfew ^[2]. The protests were characterized as anti-ICE riots, with some sources describing Los Angeles as a "war zone" with "horrific" consequences for small businesses ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question specifically asks about "property damage" costs, but the available data primarily covers total operational costs including police response, not isolated property damage figures. The analyses reveal several missing contextual elements:

• Insurance coverage implications: Most protest damage was likely covered by insurance policies ^[4], which could significantly reduce the net financial impact on individual business owners and property holders.
• Broader economic impact: The unrest had effects beyond direct property damage, with ICE raids having "a significant impact on small businesses and the local economy" ^[5], suggesting the $20 million figure may not capture the full economic disruption.
• Comparison to other disasters: One source mentions that State Farm paid over $3.96 billion on more than 12,000 claims from the Los Angeles County fires in January 2025 ^[6], providing perspective on the relative scale of the civil unrest costs.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a subtle but significant inaccuracy by asking specifically about "property damage" costs when the available official figures represent total costs including police operations and city response. This distinction is crucial because:

• The $20 million figure includes $11.7 million in police overtime ^[1], meaning actual property damage costs were substantially lower than the total figure
• Only $780,601 was specifically attributed to damage repairs by the LAPD ^[1]

The framing of the question may inadvertently inflate perceptions of the actual property destruction by conflating operational response costs with physical damage costs. This type of conflation often benefits political narratives that seek to either minimize or maximize the perceived severity of civil unrest, depending on the speaker's agenda.