California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed an executive order to suspend regulations that would impede the rebuilding process following the destructive wildfires.
The three-page executive order signed by the governor this week would aim to streamline the building permit process as well as rollback environmental regulations that would subject rebuilding to layers of time-consuming bureaucracy. The order covers all of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, both of which were affected by the wildfires, which have been estimated to be the costliest in California history.
“The order is likely to be the first of several permit streamlining measures issued by state, county and city agencies in the wake of the devastating fires across greater Los Angeles,” according to the New York Times.
Newsom’s order would also direct “state agencies to coordinate with local governments to remove or expedite permitting and approval processes during rebuilding.”
The most impactful rollback instituted by Newsom would be the waiver on permit requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQUA) and the California State Coastal Act (CSCA). The New York Times illustrated the intense burden those laws had placed on land developers:
California is one of America’s most difficult and costly places to build — a driving factor behind the state’s longstanding affordable housing shortage. Between state agencies and local land use commissions, the process of developing buildings, from office complexes to subsidized rental complexes, is longer and more expensive than in almost every other state.
Of all the hurdles a project can be subjected to, few are more difficult and time-consuming than C.E.Q.A. The law often requires developers to fund in-depth environmental studies on a project’s potential impact on everything from local wildlife to noise, views and traffic. Groups who oppose a particular development often use C.E.Q.A. lawsuits to try to stop them. This can add years even to small projects.
Newsom’s order even went further than past waivers in the wake of disasters by allowing property owners to rebuild their homes and businesses without even showing that they tried to comply with CEQUA despite the waiver.
“When the fires are extinguished, victims who have lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said of his executive order. “The executive order I signed today will help cut permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger. I’ve also ordered our state agencies to identify additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process.”
Newsom implementing such extreme measures to enable the rebuilding of homes only further illustrates the immense damage caused by the wildfires, which carry an estimated $135 billion price tag, though it will likely increase with more assessment. Between the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton fire, authorities say that that over 10,300 structures (homes and businesses) have burned in the blaze.
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