
In the wake of catastrophic wildfires that decimated homes and businesses, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an expedited executive order to aid in the reconstruction efforts. The move, designed to clear the bureaucratic hurdles typically associated with such building processes, promises to get Angelenos back into their homes as quickly as possible. "We will do everything we can to get Angelenos back home," Mayor Bass stated, in a sentiment echoed by her executive order, as reported by FOX LA.
The executive order not only seeks to streamline the rebuilding process but has also swiftly created a task force to coordinate debris removal. Among the critical measures, Bass directed city departments to expedite all building permit reviews and inspections with a goal to rapidly make available 1,400 housing units, as per KTLA. This response, mandated as homes and the community lay in ashes, seeks to quickly provide relief to those affected by the fires. This urgency has also led Mayor Bass to bypass state CEQA discretionary reviews and waive city discretionary review processes, according to the details outlined on the Mayor’s website and related press release.
Adding to the response, Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a similar order, waiving state environmental reviews to expedite reconstruction efforts, a move Bass had previously praised. "This unprecedented natural disaster warrants an unprecedented response," Bass said, as stated by The Los Angeles Times. Her executive order has set a requirement for city departments to complete project reviews within 30 days from when a complete application is submitted, provided the rebuilds do not increase property size by more than 10%.
Meanwhile, an executive director from a local housing advocacy group, Azeen Khanmalek of Abundant Housing LA, has called the Mayor's order a positive development but emphasized that the scale of the crisis necessitates Los Angeles to more generally fast-track housing developments across the city. "We were already in a housing crunch before and now there are thousands of new households and families looking for places to live," Khanmalek told The Los Angeles Times. The efficacy of these orders will ultimately be measured by their ability to provide tangible relief and shelter to those displaced by the disaster.