LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has signed an executive order to “cut through bureaucratic red tape” and speed up reconstruction of tens of thousands of homes destroyed by the January 2025 Los Angeles area wildfires.
Trump’s order, signed Friday, seeks to allow homeowners to rebuild without contending with “unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive” permitting requirements, the White House said in a statement.
The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to find a way to issue regulations that would preempt state and local rules for obtaining permits and allow builders to “self-certify” that they have complied with “substantive health, safety, and building standards.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom scoffed at the idea that the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits and urged Trump to approve the state’s $33.9 billion disaster aid request. Newsom has traveled to Washington to advocate for the money, but the administration has not yet approved it.
The Democratic governor stated that more than 1,600 rebuilding permits have been issued in Los Angeles, with local officials moving swiftly in the recovery process.
“An executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful,” Newsom remarked on social media. “We are begging you” for aid.
Despite the new order aiming to expedite the rebuilding process, fewer than a dozen homes had been rebuilt in Los Angeles County by January 7, one year after the wildfires, while around 900 homes remain under construction. The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and devastated about 13,000 residential properties.
This executive order raises concerns over the extent of federal authority over local and state permitting processes, and it remains unclear how the new measures will affect current recovery efforts. Additionally, the order calls for an audit of California's use of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, further complicating the path to recovery for affected homeowners.
Trump’s order, signed Friday, seeks to allow homeowners to rebuild without contending with “unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive” permitting requirements, the White House said in a statement.
The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to find a way to issue regulations that would preempt state and local rules for obtaining permits and allow builders to “self-certify” that they have complied with “substantive health, safety, and building standards.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom scoffed at the idea that the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits and urged Trump to approve the state’s $33.9 billion disaster aid request. Newsom has traveled to Washington to advocate for the money, but the administration has not yet approved it.
The Democratic governor stated that more than 1,600 rebuilding permits have been issued in Los Angeles, with local officials moving swiftly in the recovery process.
“An executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful,” Newsom remarked on social media. “We are begging you” for aid.
Despite the new order aiming to expedite the rebuilding process, fewer than a dozen homes had been rebuilt in Los Angeles County by January 7, one year after the wildfires, while around 900 homes remain under construction. The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and devastated about 13,000 residential properties.
This executive order raises concerns over the extent of federal authority over local and state permitting processes, and it remains unclear how the new measures will affect current recovery efforts. Additionally, the order calls for an audit of California's use of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, further complicating the path to recovery for affected homeowners.
