Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is pushing for a rapid new tool inside county government, asking the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to order staff to return within seven days with a plan for a new “Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority” housed in the Department of Public Works. The proposed authority is pitched as a way to cut red tape and coordinate public-infrastructure rebuilding in Altadena and the unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains, more than a year after the January 2025 wildfires that wiped out large portions of those hillside communities.
Barger’s seven-day demand
The motion, introduced by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger, directs the Acting Chief Executive Officer, working with the Directors of Public Works and Regional Planning and the Fire Chief, to submit a written plan within seven days for creating the new authority. That report is expected to spell out a “day zero” launch strategy, staffing needs and draft ordinances for the Board to consider, according to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The agenda describes early responsibilities that range from delivering public infrastructure to proactive hazard mitigation, sewer and public-water coordination, utility logistics and community engagement. It also tells County Counsel to prepare draft ordinances at the same time and instructs Public Works to provide quarterly updates on an Infrastructure Master Plan.
Why Altadena is central
Altadena was among the communities hit hardest in the January 2025 wildfires. Cal Fire’s incident updates attribute damage from the Eaton Fire to roughly 9,418 structures destroyed in and around the foothill neighborhoods. In response, the county has already opened a one-stop permitting center in Altadena and is working on an Altadena Wildfire Recovery Infrastructure Financing District that would steer future growth in property-tax revenue back into local rebuilding, according to a press announcement from Supervisor Barger’s office. The idea is to connect money directly to on-the-ground work, from roads to sewer lines to water infrastructure, instead of leaving projects stalled in planning purgatory.
Funding and mechanics
The motion calls for a broad financing strategy that could tap Disaster Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District funds along with other federal, state and local sources, and it explicitly leaves room to expand if Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) money or new state funding arrives, per the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Reflecting that urgency, Pasadena Now notes that the motion also orders county officials to report back within seven days on additional staffing needs at the Calabasas One-Stop Permitting Center, which manages rebuild permits for the Santa Monica Mountains fire area. Pairing surge staffing with a dedicated infrastructure financing plan is meant to push projects out of the queue and into construction faster.
What to watch next
County staff now have a one-week clock to deliver the “day zero” launch blueprint and draft ordinances, and residents and builders alike will be watching to see whether the county backs that up with standardized plans and enough people on the desks to speed approvals. Supervisors and community leaders have repeatedly vented about the slow pace of permitting, and LAist previously reported that very few rebuild permits had been approved in Altadena despite the existing one-stop center. If the Acting CEO and County Counsel hit the timeline the Board has set, the new authority could become the hub that finally aligns funding, permits and logistics so burned-out neighborhoods can start rebuilding in earnest.
