The wildfires that swept through Pacific Palisades and Altadena wiped out communities built up over the course of decades. An executive order issued over the weekend by Governor Newsom should hopefully make the rebuilding process occur more rapidly.

“When the fires are extinguished, victims who have lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks," said Newsom on Sunday. "The executive order I signed today will help cut permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger. I’ve also ordered our state agencies to identify additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process.” 

Specific provisions of Executive Order N-4-25 include:

  • Suspend CEQA review and California Coastal Act permitting for reconstruction of properties substantially damaged or destroyed in recent Southern California wildfires.
  • Direct state agencies to identify additional permitting requirements, including provisions of the Building Code, that can safely be suspended or streamlined to accelerate rebuilding and make it more affordable.
  • Extend protections against price gouging on building materials, storage services, construction, and other essential goods and services to January 7, 2026, in Los Angeles County.
  • Commit to working with the Legislature to identify statutory changes that can help expedite rebuilding while enhancing wildfire resilience and safety.

The order will permit the reconstruction of buildings of the same type and in the same location that are up to 110 percent the footprint and height of what was destroyed by the fires. The total cost of the rebuilding effort has been pegged at upwards of $150 billion.

On Monday, Mayor Bass took steps at the local level, issuing her first emergency executive order.

In addition to creating a program for debris removal in coordination with state, county, and federal officials, the order also calls for establishing a permitting area for the Palisades burn area requiring participation departments involved in development services, including Planning, Building and Safety, Transportation, Public Works, Recreation and Parks, Water and Power, Fire, and Housing. City departments have been directed to conclude initial building permitting reviews for all reconstruction on a site damaged or destroyed by the fires to be completed within 30 days, with department review to be conducted concurrently rather than sequentially.

Consistent with the Governor's order, reconstruction must be no more than 110 percent of the size of the buildings that were damaged or destroyed. These projects will be exempted from public hearings relating to compliance with the Pacific Palisades Village Specific Plan and Design Review Board, and haul routes will be approved ministerially rather than through the traditional discretionary process. The order also exempts projects from the requirements of Coastal development permits and recently-adopted all-electric building code provisions. Lastly, owners will not be required to obtain demolition permits for structures destroyed by the fire, as long as notification with documentation is given to the Department of Building and Safety. The Department of Building and Safety has also been instructed to report back within 15 days on permit reviews which could be conducted via self-certification by a licensed architect for reconstruction projects involving single-family homes within the burn area.

Prior to reconstruction, the order also will permit the use of recreational vehicles, tiny homes, mobile homes, or modular homes to be placed temporarily on impacted properties during the rebuild for a period of up to three years, or while a building permit is active on the property. To address expected stress on L.A.'s rental housing market, Bass has also called for the city to expedite temporary certificates of occupancy for new multifamily projects nearing completion - an estimated total of 1,400 new homes.

In a proposal described as a "Marshall Plan," for Los Angeles, Newsom has also asked state legislators to provide a minimum of $2.5 billion in funding for fire response and the reopening of schools closed by the disaster. That total would include $1.5 billion to prepare for similar firestorms in the future.

The outgoing Biden Administration has pledged that the federal government will cover the 100 percent of the costs of fighting the wildfires in California over the coming 180 days. Los Angeles County's Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to President-Elect Trump inviting him to see the damage firsthand and request additional assistance with the recovery.

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