Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed to make it easier to rebuild after fires by suspending California's costly and time-consuming environmental review process for homeowners and businesses whose properties were damaged or destroyed. Signed extensive executive orders.
The order is likely the first of several permit streamlining measures issued by state, county and city officials in response to the devastating fires across Los Angeles.
Newsom's three-page order, signed Sunday, covers all of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and directs state officials to coordinate with local governments to eliminate or speed up the permitting process during rebuilding. . Most important is the exemption from permitting requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (a landmark environmental law known colloquially as CEQA or “See Qua”).
The Governor also announced that he has suspended all permit requirements under the California Coastal Act for rebuilding properties after a fire.
California is one of the most difficult and expensive places to build in America, contributing to the state's long-standing shortage of affordable housing. The process of developing buildings, from office complexes to subsidized rental complexes, between state agencies and local land use boards is longer and more expensive than in nearly every other state.
Of all the hurdles a project can face, few are as difficult and time-consuming as CEQA. The laws often require developers to fund detailed environmental studies of a project's potential impacts on everything from local wildlife to noise, landscaping and traffic. Groups opposed to a particular development often use CEQA litigation to try to stop the development. This can make even small projects take years.
The state's powerful environmental groups have fiercely defended attempts to reform CEQA and the Coastal Act, which are routinely suspended during emergencies and large projects such as sports stadiums. There is.
Still, Mr. Newsom's order was unusually broad. For example, after other disasters, CEQA suspensions typically require rehabilitated property owners to demonstrate that they attempted to comply with the law, even if they were not covered by the law. . The order announced Sunday is a complete waiver, effectively eliminating CEQA for those rebuilding after a fire.
