Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Monday that seeks to expedite rebuilding efforts after fires leveled thousands of homes and businesses in the city last week, mostly within Pacific Palisades.
Executive Order 1 requires city departments to complete project reviews within 30 days from when a complete application is submitted and waives discretionary hearings under zoning rules, among other efforts.
The order applies as long as property owners do not increase the size of their homes and businesses by more than 10%.
“This unprecedented natural disaster warrants an unprecedented response that will expedite the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities,” Bass said in a statement. “This order clears away red tape and bureaucracy to organize around urgency, common sense and compassion. We will do everything we can to get Angelenos back home.”
Bass’ move comes one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom, via his own executive order, waived regulations under state environmental laws in an effort to speed up rebuilding in the Palisades, as well as Altadena and other areas outside the city. Bass had praised Newsom’s decision and had signaled last week that a similar effort was coming from the city.
Analysts have pointed to lengthy and bureaucratic building permitting processes as a major roadblock to homebuilding in Los Angeles that they say needed streamlining long before the fires.
While Bass and Newsom’s efforts aim to make it easier to build, the thicket of regulatory hurdles that normally affect construction, especially in the Palisades and other coastal areas, mean that details of the government’s response — such as the number of available staff to process permits, or even exemptions from permits — will determine its efficacy.
Bass’ order also establishes task forces for debris removal, mudslide mitigation and to help multifamily development nearing completion receive temporary occupancy approval to make more units available on the market.
Azeen Khanmalek, executive director of Abundant Housing LA, called Bass’ order a positive development in the rebuilding process. But given the scale of the crisis, he called for Los Angeles to do more to fast-track new housing developments across the city — regardless of location and whether it’s a rebuild.
“We were already in a housing crunch before and now there are thousands of new households and families looking for places to live,” Khanmalek said.
