Newsom waives environmental rules to help LA fire victims rebuild ‘faster and stronger’
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Sunday to waive certain environmental regulations and aid those who want to rebuild homes lost to the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Multiple wind-fueled infernos have killed 24 and destroyed more than 12,000 structures in Los Angeles County since Tuesday.
Newsom’s order will suspend permitting and environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and the California Coastal Act.
“When the fires are extinguished, victims who have lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said in a statement. “The executive order I signed today will help cut permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger.”
The governor added that he had “ordered our state agencies to identify additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process.” He also pledged to work with the Legislature to find ways to further expedite rebuilding and improve wildfire resilience.
Newsom’s order acknowledged the destruction would only worsen the housing crisis in the south state by reducing the availability of housing, which will increase costs and homelessness “if housing is not expeditiously rebuilt.”
The order extends state limits against price gouging during an emergency until January 2026 for Los Angeles County.
Conservative critics, led by President-elect Donald Trump, accused Newsom and other California Democrats of endorsing environmental policies they claim exacerbated the destruction caused by recent wildfires. Trump labeled Newsom “incompetent,” suggested his resignation, and made inaccurate statements regarding water management for endangered fish and FEMA policies.
“The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday. “Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet The Press” on Sunday, Newsom dismissed those claims and said he was focused on rebuilding as “efficiently and effectively” as possible. He said waiving the 1970s-era CEQA regulations, as he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, would help speed up rebuilding homes, many of which were built before modern building and home-hardening standards.
“California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I’m not going to give that up. One thing I won’t give into is delay. Delay is denial for people: lives, traditions, places torn apart, torn asunder,” Newsom said during the interview Saturday in Altadena.
“I’m worried about issues of rebuilding as it relates to scarcity, as it relates to property taxes,” Newsom told NBC reporter Jacob Soboroff. “Meaning scarcity of resources, materials, personnel. I’m worried about time to getting these projects done. And so we want to fast-track by eliminating any CEQA requirements. I’ve got Coastal Act changes that we’re making. I want to make sure when someone rebuilds that they have their old property tax assessments and that they’re not increased. So all of that’s been done in the executive order.”
Newsom repeated to NBC that he had invited Trump to survey the damage of the fires but had yet to hear back: “We want to do it in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist. He’s the president-elect. I respect the office.”
Trump officials have not said on whether the incoming president would come to California before his Jan. 20 inauguration.
As of Sunday, the Palisades Fire, the largest and most destructive of the wildfires, had burned more than 23,700 acres and was 11% contained. The Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,100 acres and destroyed homes in Altadena, was 27% contained. The Hurst Fire burning in the northern San Fernando Valley had scorched 799 acres and was 89% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Three other fires — the Kenneth Fire, Sunset Fire and Lidia Fire — were 100% contained Sunday morning.
This story was originally published January 12, 2025 at 1:17 PM.
