California’s environmental landmark laws will be suspended for wildfire victims seeking to rebuild their homes and businesses, according to an executive order signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Building permit requirements and audits in California Environmental Quality Act and California Coastal Law — which are often considered burdensome by developers — will be mitigated for fire victims in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other communities, according to the order.
“California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I’m not going to give up on that,” Newsom told Jacob Soboroff on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But the one thing I’m not going to give up on is delay. Delay is a denial of people: lives, traditions, torn, torn places.
The governor’s action represents an early and strong statement about the future of these areas, said Dan Dunmoyer, president and CEO of the California Building Industry Association. Newsom is making clear that the state will encourage homeowners to return to their neighborhoods rather than deem development there too risky, Dunmuir said.
“He put out a sign to say we’re going to rebuild these communities,” Dunmuir said.
Waivers to the Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA, and the Coastal Code could shorten years of the process for homeowners in Palisades, but building permits issued by local governments present another major hurdle, he said.
“These two laws are important, but if the locals don’t come up with a quick process, that’s where you can get stuck,” Dunmuir said, referring to the state laws.
Newsom’s order calls for the state Department of Housing to work with affected cities and the county to develop new permit rules that would allow all approvals to be issued within 30 days.
In the wake of the fires, housing analysts have renewed calls for the city of Los Angeles to speed up its operations. A 2023 study found The average unit on a multifamily property in the city takes five years to complete, with much of that time related to bureaucratic approval.
Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged the problems and pledged that the city would speed up the permitting process.
“We will eliminate the red tape, delays, costs and unnecessary headaches that people experience in normal times so that we can rebuild your homes quickly,” Bass said in a press conference on Thursday.
Bass reiterated the promise at a news conference Sunday morning, praising the governor’s action and saying she plans to release details about the efforts this week. Katherine Barger, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who represents Altadena, also praised the governor’s executive order.
“I want to thank the governor for hearing my request and taking swift action to ensure our residents are not burdened with unnecessary requirements as they begin the process of recovering and rebuilding,” said Barger, a Republican.
However, many GOP members across the state said Newsom’s order was too little, too late.
“Bushfire victims deserve so much more than Gavin Newsom. “When his record includes lying about and underfunding wildfire prevention efforts, he owes answers to Angelenos about how he and local Democratic leaders were unprepared for these devastating fires,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Milan Patterson said. “No more blame game and excuses. We need this governor accountable, and we need it now.”
Environmentalists also noted that the governor’s executive order restates an existing provision in the Coastal Code that provides exemptions for fire restoration.
The California Coastal Commission, which is charged with coordinating local coastal law enforcement officials, Noticed last week State law already clearly states that rebuilding homes, businesses and most other structures destroyed by a disaster are exempt from typical coastal development permits — as long as the new building is located on the same site and is no more than 10% larger or taller than the destroyed structure.
In the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which destroyed areas in and around Malibu, the commission coordinated with city and county officials to help homeowners rebuild. Coastal officials also noted that over the years, in the wake of other devastating natural disasters, the commission has processed hundreds of “disaster reconstruction waivers” in other coastal areas regulated directly by the commission.
“When it comes time to rebuild, both the Coastal Act and the Governor’s Executive Order provide a clear path to quickly and easily replace lost structures,” Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the commission, said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all the Los Angeles area residents whose homes and communities were destroyed by these horrific fires.”
President-elect Donald Trump and other conservatives have criticized Newsom and other California Democratic leaders for adopting environmental policies they say laid the foundation for this month’s historic destruction. Trump called Newsom “incompetent,” said he should resign, and made false statements about redirecting waters to protect small fish and about Federal Emergency Management Agency policy.
“The fires are still burning in Los Angeles, and incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out.” Trump wrote Saturday night on Truth Socialhis social media platform. Thousands of wonderful homes have disappeared, and many more will be lost soon. There is death everywhere. This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our country. They just can’t put out fires. What’s wrong with them?
Trump’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
During an interview with NBC, Newsom said he had asked the incoming president to come see the devastation in person, as Barger did on Saturday.
“We want to do this in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist. He is the president-elect,” Newsom said. “I respect the office.”
While Newsom noted that many of the buildings that survived the fires would likely have been built to modern building codes, he said he was concerned about the amount of time it would take to rebuild. So his executive order eliminates some CEQA requirements, amends provisions of the Coastal Code and ensures property tax assessments are not increased for those who rebuild.
CEQA was signed into law by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970 amid the burgeoning environmental movement. The Coastal Act was created after a landmark voter proposal in 1972 that was led by a passionate statewide effort to save the coast from uncontrolled development and devastating oil spills like the 1969 disaster in Santa Barbara that was considered “the environmental shot heard around the world.” ”
Both have faced challenges for decades, and governors of both parties have argued for more than 40 years that CEQA needs reform. Many of the law’s requirements were temporarily suspended by Newsom’s executive order during the pandemic. He says it’s time again.
Asked on the news program whether this month’s wildfires were the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history, Newsom noted that recent fires had resulted in greater loss of life but said: “I think that would be just in terms of the costs associated with it.” In terms of size and scope.”
He called for California’s version of the Marshall Plan, the American effort to rebuild Western Europe after World War II.
“We actually have a team looking at reimagining LA 2.0, and we’re making sure everyone is included, not just the people on the coast, the people here who have been devastated by this disaster,” he said.