The executive orders are designed to remove regulatory hurdles and reduce rebuilding costs
Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday issued two new executive actions aimed at expediting the rebuilding process in Pacific Palisades, more than six months after a series of devastating wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes across the area.
Emergency Executive Order No. 8 expands local streamlining measures for rebuilding homes that are not identical to those lost, aligning the city with Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide emergency order suspending key environmental reviews. The new directive allows qualifying single-family home projects to bypass local Coastal Act requirements, provided they meet objective zoning standards and environmental protections.
The second action, Executive Directive No. 13, establishes a pilot program for pre-approved standard housing plans. The city will create an online library of code-compliant, architect-submitted designs that residents can use to fast-track the permitting process. An open call for architects and builders to contribute to the plan library is expected within 30 days.
“While our recovery is on track to be the fastest in modern California history, I know that nothing will erase the unimaginable pain and loss that the Palisades community has endured,” Bass said in a statement. “With debris removal months ahead of expectations and construction underway, we continue to push forward in our all-out effort to get families home.”
City officials say more than 85% of affected residential properties have already been cleared of debris, and nearly 300 rebuilding plans have been approved. The first reconstruction permit was issued just 57 days after the fires began in January, a pace officials say is twice as fast as post-disaster recovery timelines following the Camp and Woolsey Fires.
The executive orders are designed to remove regulatory hurdles and reduce rebuilding costs. Projects that qualify under the new order must meet specific criteria, including adherence to zoning rules, proximity limits from coastal bluffs, and biological impact restrictions. Affected homeowners have seven years to obtain a building permit and three years to complete construction once approved.
Additional provisions in the orders waive certain permit requirements, including discretionary haul route approvals and low-impact development mandates for homes built before 2002. The city is also instructing departments to accelerate inspections and utility releases for rebuilds.
The virtual plan library is expected to include an online portal for submissions, a dashboard for approved designs, and tools for homeowners to track their permitting status.
