Months of pressure from Pacific Palisades residents appear to be paying off. Los Angeles officials signaled a significant shift this week as the city’s top budget officer reworked his plan to recommend waiving building and plan-check fees for almost every type of property damaged in the Palisades fire, with the city’s exposure now pegged at roughly $90 million. The move would chip away at up-front costs for homeowners, condo owners and small business operators weighing whether they can afford to rebuild. The plan still needs sign-off from a key committee and the full City Council before the mayor can lock the relief in place.
What the CAO recommended
In a nine-page report, City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo called for fee relief for single-family homes, duplexes, condominium complexes, townhouses, apartment buildings and commercial properties, while revising earlier assumptions so the estimated price tag lands at about $90 million. The analysis assumes owners who rebuild up to 110% of their previous square footage would see their fees waived, with any larger expansion subject to normal charges. Szabo’s report now heads to the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee and, if it clears that hurdle, will move to the full council for a vote, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Bass already paused fee collection
Mayor Karen Bass had already tried to clear the path in April 2025, when she issued an emergency executive order temporarily suspending collection of plan-check and permit fees for wildfire survivors while the council debated a permanent fix. She later expanded that order to cover condominiums and other multi-unit properties to speed rebuilding efforts. The mayor’s team has described the order as a short-term tool to cut through red tape while City Hall crafts an ordinance, and said Bass is eager to sign a measure that locks in permanent relief. The executive action also directed city departments to streamline plan checks and set up faster permitting routes, Mayor Karen Bass's office said.
Neighbors pressed for inclusion
Local pressure did not come quietly. Dozens of Palisades residents, including condo owners who organized as the Pali Condo Captains, packed City Hall to rail against an earlier, narrower proposal that would have left many multi-unit owners out of fee relief. Advocates such as Roseanne Landay, whose two-bedroom condo was wiped out in the blaze, told reporters that condo owners “lost everything” and should not be carved out of help. Residents say that outcry helped trigger Szabo’s second look at the plan, The Los Angeles Times reported.
What happens next
Szabo’s recommendation now faces a public airing in the Budget and Finance Committee. If the committee moves the measure forward, it will land before the full City Council for a final vote. Should the council adopt an ordinance, Bass has signaled she will sign it, converting the temporary pause into a formal fee waiver for qualifying rebuilding projects. After that, city departments will still need to spell out eligibility rules and decide how to absorb the waived revenue inside an already stretched budget.
Why this matters to survivors
The Palisades fire that tore through Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025, destroyed thousands of homes and left many residents struggling with a brutal choice: rebuild or walk away. For those determined to come back, cutting permit and plan-check costs can be the difference between starting over and giving up. Quicker, cheaper permitting also matters for older homeowners and small landlords operating on tight margins and with limited access to private financing. Britannica offers background on the scale of the January wildfires and their fallout.
For now, Palisades residents who pushed hard for broader relief are treating the CAO’s revised plan as a concrete win. The real test, they and city officials acknowledge, will be whether an ordinance actually passes and how quickly departments roll out the program. City Hall now has to thread a narrow needle: helping wildfire survivors rebuild while managing fiscal pressures and service demands across Los Angeles.
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