Trump Order Would Change California’s Rebuilding Permits
An aerial view shows houses being rebuilt on cleared lots on Dec. 5, months after the Palisades fire, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
President Trump announced Friday that he has signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the rebuilding of tens of thousands of homes destroyed by the January 2025 wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to develop regulations that would override certain state and local permitting requirements and allow builders to “self-certify” compliance with substantive health, safety, and building standards.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized the move, questioning the federal government’s authority to issue local rebuilding permits. “An executive order to rebuild Mars” would be just as effective, Newsom wrote on X, according to the Associated Press.
Newsom also renewed his call for the Trump administration to approve California’s $33.9 billion disaster aid request. The Democratic governor has traveled to Washington, D.C., to press for the funding, which has not yet been approved. “Please actually help us,” Newsom wrote. “We are begging you.” He added that more than 1,600 rebuilding permits have already been issued in Los Angeles and said local officials are moving quickly.
In a statement, the White House said the executive order is intended to help homeowners rebuild without facing “unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive” permitting requirements. The Los Angeles Times reported that the order is likely to face legal challenges from Los Angeles and the state of California.
As of Jan. 7, one year after the fires began, fewer than a dozen homes had been fully rebuilt in Los Angeles County, according to an AP review. About 900 homes were under construction. The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and destroyed roughly 13,000 residential properties. The fires burned for more than three weeks, and cleanup efforts lasted about seven months.
The order also instructs federal agencies to speed up waivers, permits, and approvals to bypass environmental, historic preservation, or natural resource regulations that could delay rebuilding.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the order a “political stunt,” saying the administration should focus instead on speeding up FEMA reimbursements and pressuring insurance companies to pay residents for their losses.
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