LA Fires: Trump Issues Order to Override California Permitting and Rebuilding in Wildfire Damaged Areas
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week directing federal agencies to override California and local permitting rules to accelerate rebuilding Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon wildfires that began on January 7, 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Los Angeles County leaders criticized the move. Newsom declared the area an emergency zone last year and had full control over it, but there have been continual delays in permitting.
Wildfires destroyed an estimated 16,000 structures, but Los Angeles city and county officials have only issued 2,600 permits to rebuild so far. In all, less than 15% of all homes destroyed by the fires have received necessary approvals to move forward. Trump’s order is designed to “preempt” the building permit process — and empower the federal government to maneuver around the needless obstacles imposed by Democratic leaders.
For years, the fire department said to cut the brush around the power lines, but the warnings were ignored, and the power lines should have been turned off during the high winds. The reservoir that was built just for fires in the area was drained – authorities said that it was filled, but drone video shows it is empty. There are many other instances of fraud, intentional neglect and incompetence that we have reported on over the past year and can be accessed in the archives.
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https://youtu.be/mOMy6nSRJmY
https://needtoknow.news/2026/01/la-fires-trump-issues-order-to-override-california-permitting-and-rebuilding-in-wildfire-damaged-areas/
https://nypost.com/2026/01/27/us-news/trump-orders-feds-to-take-over-californias-wildfire-rebuilding/