Bath mayor issues order to speed up fire reconstruction efforts

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order on Monday seeking to speed up reconstruction efforts after fires last week destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the city, mostly in Pacific Palisades. Pacific Palisades).

Executive Order 1 requires city departments to complete project reviews within 30 days of submitting a complete application and waives measures such as holding discretionary hearings under zoning rules.

The order applies as long as property owners increase the size of their homes and businesses by no more than 10%.

“This unprecedented natural disaster requires an unprecedented response to accelerate the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities,” Bass said in a statement. “This order eliminates red tape and bureaucracy and builds on urgency, common sense, and and organizing with compassion. We will do whatever it takes to get Angelenos home.”

Bass's move comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom used his own executive order to waive provisions of state environmental laws to speed up the process in Palisades and other areas in Altadena and outside the city. Redevelopment of the area. Bass praised Newsom's decision and said last week the city would pursue a similar effort.

Analysts point to lengthy and bureaucratic building permit processes as a major obstacle to residential construction in Los Angeles, and say they need to be streamlined long before the fires.

While Bass and Newsom's efforts aim to make construction easier, the onerous regulatory hurdles that often hamper construction, especially in the Palisades and other coastal areas, mean the government has to grapple with the details — e.g. The number of staff available for a license, or even a license exemption – will determine its effectiveness.

Bass’ order also established task forces to remove debris, mitigate mudslides and help soon-to-be-completed multifamily developments obtain interim occupancy approvals to put more units on the market.

Azeen Khanmalek, executive director of Abundant Housing in Los Angeles, called Bass' order a positive development in the rebuilding process. But given the scale of the crisis, he called on Los Angeles to do more to accelerate new housing development across the city — regardless of location and whether or not it is redeveloped.

“We've been in a housing crisis before and now we have thousands of new families looking for a place to live,” Cammalik said.