XPost: alt.los-angeles, alt.politics.republicans, talk.politics.guns
XPost: sac.politics, alt.home.repair

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jul/17/californias-housing- rebuild-bogged-bureaucratic-red-tape-empty-dirt/

�They�d like to start tonight, and they�ll clean their site. They�ll do everything. They just want to start. And they were very concerned with the
18 months,� President Trump told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at a
roundtable on Jan. 24, describing the devastation of the California
wildfires and how local residents were eager to rebuild.

�So, I�m sure you can get it down to, I would say, not even 18 days. They
are ready, Mayor,� the president said.

�No. That will not be the case,� Ms. Bass assured Mr. Trump, indicating it wouldn�t take 18 months to restart the process.

�OK. I just hope that that �� the president said before Ms. Bass cut him
off with: �You can hold me to it.�

It has been six months since wildfires destroyed more than 18,000 homes
and structures in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, resulting in
the evacuations of 200,000 residents, at least 30 fatalities and an
estimated $275 billion in damages and economic losses in the region.

After visiting the state in January, the president waived all federal
permits to expedite the rebuild and asked local California authorities to
do the same. Mr. Trump, frustrated with estimates that it would take the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency 12
to 18 months to clean up debris, pushed the agencies to do it in six
months.

�Career staff at EPA and FEMA groused in private to administration
officials that a six-month pace was so ambitious �its bananas,�� Real
Clear Politics reported.

Given direct oversight by the president and working with state and local authorities, FEMA, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers hauled more
than 2.5 million tons of debris, about double the amount removed from
ground zero after 9/11, and cleared more than 13,000 properties in five
months, according to Real Clear Politics.

Now, it�s up to Ms. Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to start the
rebuild, but because of their bureaucratic red tape, it�s going
painstakingly slow. To date, only 113 building permits have been issued,
and the average time to process a permit is 56 business days.

�The permit is only the beginning � it�s just the green light to get
started,� Brock Harris, a Los Angeles real estate agent who is working
with developers on rebuilding efforts, told Realtor.com.

Applications go through regional planning, building and safety, often
involving the fire department and public works. Most of the time, they
have to be issued by both the city and the county. Additional permits are needed for electrical systems and swimming pools.

Government officials bog down the process with code compliance, zoning
reviews and staffing shortages.

�Thanks, LA County for making it as frustrating and impossible to rebuild
after the fires as possible,� actress Mandy Moore wrote on Instagram. �Shouldn�t be surprised but it�s mind-boggling the red tape and hoops
they�re putting us all through.�

Although timelines vary, Realtor.com estimates it will take California residents 12 to 36 months to rebuild, on average.

Ms. Bass held a press conference in June to herald progress on the
rebuild, using Walter Lopes� Pacific Palisades home as an example of how �quickly� L.A. residents are getting back onto their feet. The only
problem? Mr. Lopes� home was the only one rebuilt on his block, and he
could do it only after shelling out millions of dollars and promising to
build his home exactly as it was constructed a few years ago.

�I don�t agree that there are a lot of homes popping up,� Mr. Lopes told
the New York Post. �We�ve had to push back. We�ve had to fight. My
construction isn�t happening just because the city is expediting things.
Every single step of the way, we were there. We�re in meetings. We�re
asking questions. We�re pushing back on things.�

Approvals have been fast-tracked for only �like-for-like� rebuilds, yet
that language remains fuzzy. For example, if a homeowner wants to expand
their basement or a room in a rebuild, does that count as a �like-for-
like,� or does it violate the city�s new house size limit?

�It�s confusing,� Mr. Lopes told the Post. �There�s a good percentage of homeowners who have not started because those rules have not been
finalized. They ask, �Do I pull the trigger and rebuild right now? Or do I
wait a month because the rules might change? Or do I wait six months
because the rules might change again?��

After being criticized for the slow recovery, Mr. Newsom released a
statement praising his state�s debris removal, a feat accomplished by the federal government and Mr. Trump, as an accomplishment of his own.

�Local, state, and federal governments are delivering the fastest wildfire cleanup in U.S. history. Nearly 10,000 homes cleared � months ahead of
schedule � because recovery can�t wait,� Mr. Newsom said in a statement on
July 7. �Now we turn the page to rebuilding, and we�re doing it with a
clear plan, strong partnerships, and the urgency this moment demands.�

Mr. Newsom also signed an executive order fast-tracking the rebuilding of utility and telecommunication infrastructure, something he arguably could
have done six months ago.

Still, serving California residents doesn�t seem to be either Ms. Bass� or
Mr. Newsom�s top priority.

Mr. Newsom has largely been out of the state, touring South Carolina last
week and appearing with conservative podcasters to launch his 2028
presidential run. Ms. Bass announced a �cash assistance� program to
immigrant families affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids,
using philanthropist money to hand out cash debit cards this week.

�The permitting process is moving at a snail�s pace,� White House
spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told RealClearPolitics, �and while communities struggle to rebuild, Newsom fled the state to kick off his presidential campaign after pathetically trying to claim credit for President Trump�s success.

�Newsom is a failed leader who cares more about his own political
ambitions than delivering for Californians,� Ms. Jackson added.

Perhaps it�s time for another presidential visit to California to ensure
Ms. Bass� and Mr. Newsom�s promises to California residents become a
reality and not just empty words.

� Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.


--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

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