Only Four Permits Granted for Rebuilding Homes in L.A. Affected by January Wildfires – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:13 PM – Monday, March 31, 2025
Los Angeles has issued just four permits for the rebuilding of homes that were lost or damaged in the January fires in Pacific Palisades, which affected nearly 7,000 properties.
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All reconstruction initiatives necessitate a permit, leading to frustrations among local residents and officials over the sluggish permitting process, which has granted only four permits since the fires struck Los Angeles nearly two months ago.
“Hearing at today’s community meeting that only four permits have been issued 75 days post-fire is troubling to me,” expressed Councilmember Traci Park on Monday.
“I don’t believe it’s due to a lack of interest in rebuilding; I think it points to deeper systemic problems that we must address,” she added.
California GOP Representative Joe Patterson (R-Calif.), who is the vice chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, suggested that Los Angeles should have its authority curtailed if they continue to operate inefficiently.
“California taxpayers have invested considerably to aid the LA region’s recovery, as they should,” said Patterson. “However, there is a corresponding duty for the organizations receiving this funding… to facilitate the effective use of those resources.”
“If inefficiencies in utilizing taxpayer money persist, then we need to remove their permit-issuing power and allow market mechanisms to assist in the rebuilding efforts,” he emphasized.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also faced scrutiny for allocating $10 million to a private firm responsible for the recovery initiative.
“Our city departments have the expertise to handle recovery, having participated in similar efforts before,” noted Councilmember Monica Rodriguez. “Yet they aren’t given the chance to hire the necessary staff, while we can afford a $10 million contract for an external agency to produce a report.”
The permitting procedure entails several phases, beginning with a contractor tasked with clearing the site and removing a minimum of 6 inches of topsoil from within the ash perimeter.
Once this is complete, contractors may begin grading the site before progressing to the reconstruction phase.
As of last week, 72 homeowners have submitted rebuilding requests to the city, while an additional 135 have applied to the L.A. County Department of Public Works for rebuilding in unincorporated areas.
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