More than a year after the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon wildfires devastated parts of Los Angeles, rebuilding remains slow — and a new federal executive order has brought renewed attention to why.
The discussion follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, which argues that overlapping federal, state, and local regulations have significantly delayed recovery. The order criticizes California and local leadership, including Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, and calls for federal intervention to accelerate rebuilding in wildfire-affected areas.
The State of Rebuilding So Far
Independent reporting suggests that recovery has indeed moved slowly relative to the scale of destruction. While thousands of homes were lost in the fires, multiple outlets report that only a small number of homes have been fully rebuilt, with many others still navigating debris removal, insurance claims, financing, and permitting. Construction is underway in some areas, but completed rebuilds remain limited.
Observers point to a combination of factors contributing to the pace: permitting timelines, insurance disputes, rising construction costs, labor shortages, and environmental review requirements. In that context, frustration among displaced homeowners has grown — and calls for faster rebuilding have intensified.
What the Executive Order Proposes
The federal order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to draft regulations that could allow federal agencies to preempt local building permits for properties rebuilt using federal disaster relief funds.
Under the proposal, builders could self-certify compliance with state and local safety codes, potentially bypassing city and county inspection processes. The order also calls for recommendations on expanding federal authority when recovery is deemed too slow and mandates a federal audit of nearly $3 billion in California hazard-mitigation grants.
None of these changes are currently in effect; they would require additional rulemaking and, in some cases, legislative action.
Why Coverage Differs Across Outlets
How this proposal is being described depends largely on where one reads about it.
Coverage from USA Today has emphasized the scope of the federal proposal, including the possibility of permit preemption and self-certification. Other outlets, such as Vox and CalMatters, have focused more on broader efforts to streamline rebuilding by waiving specific environmental reviews and expediting approvals, often within existing regulatory frameworks.
These differing angles reflect a policy discussion still in motion — one that involves federal authority, state responsibility, local control, and the lived realities of communities trying to rebuild.
The Question Ahead
Few disagree that rebuilding after a disaster should not take years. At the same time, how speed is achieved — and who decides what safeguards remain in place — continues to be debated.
When rebuilding lags after a disaster, who should be questioned about the delays — and is higher-level intervention ever necessary to clearly identify what’s slowing recovery and why?
