US EditionTrump executive order seeks to speed up rebuilding of homes destroyed by Los Angeles wildfires
The order aims to cut permitting delays and audit $3 billion in federal fire prevention funds after wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes and killed 31 people, White House says.
- On Jan. 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to speed rebuilding in Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon, aiming to cut permitting delays after last year’s fires.
- The order accuses California officials of failing to manage fire response and rebuilding, blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for stalled permits, while California legislators and local leaders urge federal aid instead.
- The order tasks the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration with drafting rules to preempt local permits, allow builders to self‑certify, expedite waivers, and audit California's Hazard Mitigation Grant funds within 60 days.
- Legal uncertainty greeted the order, with analysts predicting court challenges as rebuilding remains limited in Los Angeles County, with 1,619 plans approved and fewer than a dozen homes rebuilt as of Jan. 7.
- Echoing a January 2025 decree, the new measure revives fights over federal power and water and environmental rules as California challenges it amid criticism of blocked nearly $34 billion disaster aid.
113 Articles
113 Articles
Trump Order Would Change California's Rebuilding Permits
President Trump has announced that he signed an executive order to speed up reconstruction of tens of thousands of homes destroyed by the January 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires. The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to find a way to issue regulations that would...
Trump executive order seeks to speed up rebuilding of homes after Los Angeles wildfires
Trump announced Tuesday that he has signed an executive order to “cut through bureaucratic red tape” and speed up reconstruction of homes destroyed by the January 2025 Los Angeles area wildfires. 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.
Trump to Put Zeldin in Charge of Permits to Rebuild After California Wildfires
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will put Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin in charge of helping homeowners get permits to rebuild after the California wildfires last January “I’m going to put you in charge of getting permits. I think we’re going to override the local authorities,” Trump said, addressing Zeldin, at an event in Washington. — (Reporting by Bo Erickson; Writing by Ryan Patrick Jones; editing by Cos…
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