On January 13, 2025, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued Emergency Executive Order No. 1, the first executive action aimed to modify local law in response to the devastating fires throughout the city of Los Angeles. The Executive Order comes on the heels of a similar order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, waiving a variety of regulations under the California Environmental Quality Act and similar laws. The Executive Order calls for sweeping modifications to local building and land use laws, including:
- Streamlining permit review, requiring city departments to complete initial permitting reviews within 30 days for reconstruction projects instead of sequential approvals. The Executive Order also calls for certain inspections to be completed within two days.
- New exemptions from typical discretionary review processes, “including, but not limited to, the Pacific Palisades Village Specific Plan and the Pacific Palisades Village Design Review Board Guidelines, and any other specific plans that are applicable to impacted areas.”
- Projects in the coastal zone “shall be exempt from the requirements of a Coastal Development Permit” with similar exemptions under the requirements of the Mello Act and the city of Los Angeles Interim Administrative Procedures for complying with the Mello Act.
The foregoing applies as long as property owners do not change the location or use of property or increase the physical size of homes and businesses by more than 10%. The Executive Order is designed to, at a minimum, facilitate a rebuilding to the status quo.
The Executive Order also provides for additional streamlining and support, including:
- City demolition permits are not required “for the demolition of any structure, improvement, or facility substantially damaged or destroyed by the Wildfire” except in certain cases involving deep or step foundation or retaining walls. Of course, the demolition of a structure or improvement must otherwise comply with applicable law.
- The formation of “an interdepartmental task force to help multi-family residential projects nearing completion obtain their Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) expeditiously so as to create more available units in the market.”
- The formation of a “Debris Removal Task Force” to coordinate debris removal efforts with local, state and federal agencies. This task force will also ensure compliance with environmental and workplace safety laws.
- The formation of a “Watershed Hazards Task Force” to make risk mitigation plans for postfire threats like mudslides and debris flows.
Executive Order No. 1 will certainly impact how quickly the rebuilding effort can commence. Additional efforts are underway to fund the labor and infrastructure necessary for the development process. The city council is also actively working to implement policy and regulatory changes to advance the recovery. Similar efforts are also pending before the California Legislature.