NEWS ALERT: Trump signs order to bypass Newsom, expedite rebuild of Palisades

On Friday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed up reconstruction in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas one year after devastating wildfires destroyed nearly 40,000 acres of homes and businesses.

• The Order directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue regulations that preempt State and local procedural permitting requirements and enable builders to self-certify to a Federal agency designee that they have complied with State and local substantive health, safety, and building standards.
• The Order directs agencies to use all available authorities under Federal environmental, historic preservation, and natural resource laws, including the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act, to expedite waivers, permits, and approvals that may be required from the Federal government.
• The Order further directs the development of legislative proposals that would enable FEMA and the SBA to address situations in which State or local governments are not enabling timely recovery after disasters.
• It orders FEMA to determine whether any of California’s nearly $3 billion in unspent Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds were awarded arbitrarily or contrary to law, and to conduct a full audit of California’s use of those funds.

OVERCOMING STATE AND LOCAL OBSTRUCTION: President Trump is taking decisive action to overcome California and Los Angeles’s permitting failures that have left numerous families, businesses, and houses of worship displaced and unable to rebuild a year after the wildfires.

• Despite billions of dollars in Federal recovery awards and the fastest Federal debris removal in American history, only about 2,500 of the tens of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed have received permits to rebuild.
  • Now a year after the fires, less than 10 homes have been rebuilt.
• Overly burdensome, confusing, and inconsistent permitting requirements, duplicative permitting reviews, procedural bottlenecks, and administrative delays have effectively stalled recovery efforts.
• Even expedited reviews promised by local leaders have taken months, with processing times averaging 93 days for the Palisades.
• Permit fees and environmental reviews add further delays and costs.
• State and local barriers prevent survivors from returning home, reopening businesses, and restoring communities, prolonging hardship and economic loss.

RESTORING COMMON SENSE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: President Trump has consistently demonstrated a commonsense approach to safeguard and protect the environment and American communities.

• On Day One, President Trump signed a Memorandum to prioritize routing water to Southern California in the wake of the destructive wildfires.
• In President Trump’s first week back in office, he and First Lady Melania Trump visited Los Angeles to inspect wildfire damage, promising immediate Federal support and relief.
• Upon visiting Los Angeles, President Trump immediately issued measures to provide increased water resources in California and promote expedited recovery procedures for Californians after their State government’s disastrous mishandling and misuse of resources and lack of preparation for the January 2025 wildfires.
• In March 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order to enhance forest management, promoting responsible use of American timber to reduce wildfire risks. 
• In June 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order returning common sense to wildfire prevention and response.