LA aligns on recovery plans

The county and state are working with power and telecommunications companies to plan to put more utilities underground. Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in March 2025 to fast-track this work.

Additionally, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to help Palisades residents expedite rebuilding with fire-resistant materials and climate-resilient infrastructure. This includes hardening utilities for power reliability during severe weather.

Utilities are working closely with local leaders from Los Angeles County and the city. Construction is already underway in Malibu, Altadena, and Pacific Palisades. It is expected to continue for several more years. The state and county are calling for a coordinated approach to undergrounding power and telecom lines that will save money, cut down on time, and minimize disruptions from multiple work crews.

Beyond undergrounding, additional strategies are important to mitigate fire hazards, such as vegetation management and resilient rebuilding. Property owners and design/building professionals can look to the county’s Resilient Rebuild Resource Guide for information and resources for planning, designing, and constructing a high-performance building more resilient to fire risks.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has filled over 80 water storage facilities to their highest level. Backup pumps are fueled and ready at each pumping station as a backup to the main pumps. They have filled their five water tenders, each with at least 4,000 gallons, and have them on standby for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) if needed. Four reservoirs hold billions of gallons of non-potable water for aerial firefighting.

In the Pacific Palisades area, two local reservoirs are dedicated to aerial firefighting: the Encino Reservoir and the Lower Stone Canyon Reservoir.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has worked with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and 7 local water companies to assess the fire flow from the existing water systems in the fire areas. To facilitate the rebuilding process, LA County Fire will amend the 2026 Los Angeles County Fire Code to meet the current State Fire Code requirements. This code amendment will allow people to rebuild their homes while the water system is upgraded and improved. LA County Fire will continue to regularly staff and strategically place county-owned pre-positioned engines during high-fire risk periods.

Additionally, a new streamlined process has been developed that eliminates the need for homeowners to be involved in the fire flow form process. The water companies, LA County Public Works, and LA County Fire will handle this new process, which will streamline the timeline, eliminate the need for homeowners to complete the process, and save homeowners money.

Water districts have identified damages and applied for funding (e.g., FEMA PA) to rebuild. The state and county have committed to supporting the districts to rebuild and improve systems.

The LA County Forward: Blueprint for Rebuilding says these upgrades are critical infrastructure investments for long-term safety.

Local officials in Los Angeles City and County have taken several concrete steps to improve how emergency alerts are issued following widespread confusion during the Eaton and Palisades fires. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ordered an independent, external review of the emergency alert and evacuation notification systems, retaining outside experts to conduct a comprehensive after-action analysis and report back every 90 days.

The city's Emergency Management Department and County Coordinated Joint Information Center are now prioritizing enhanced training, more rigorous system tests, improved geographic targeting, clearer message wording, and stronger coordination for future life-safety emergencies.

The city is coordinating a biweekly steering committee focused on emergency communication to discuss blockers and progress. The group is made up of representatives from city departments, including the:

• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• Los Angeles Department of Emergency Management
• Los Angeles Department of Planning
• Los Angeles Fire Department

County officials, in partnership with local, state, and federal partners, are working to improve emergency alert and warning system effectiveness countywide. This includes implementing recommendations from independent party reviews, including the McChrystal Group, the Fire Safety Research Institute, and the U.S. Congress.

Local emergency notification systems will continue to be reviewed and improved. By focusing on making alert messages more precise and area-specific, standardizing alert language, improving multilayered notification capabilities, and enhancing coordination and training among agencies to ensure timely, clear, and geographically accurate warnings in future disasters. These improvements include outside reviews of recent wildfire alerts, increased federal funding requests, and public education efforts around opt-in notification services.

The government has mobilized to support residents, including helping to secure $3 billion in federal assistance and loans. The state’s CalAssist Mortgage Fund is directing over $100 million in mortgage relief. Governor Newsom has secured a commitment by top lenders to offer forbearance on mortgages and signed legislation to expand forbearance to 12 months and create enforceable legal requirements.

The county has mobilized over $50 million to support families and small businesses through the LA County Wildfire Relief Fund. To reduce permitting costs for homeowners, the county has also deferred or refunded specific fees for zoning, plan checks, and permits across key agencies like Public Works, Regional Planning, Public Health, and Fire. These fees can exceed $20,000 per household. The county is expediting permit plan reviews with 14-day turnaround times for initial reviews, 7-day turnaround for additional reviews, and a goal to issue the permit in 30 days. More support has been provided as well. Section 8 vouchers are available for displaced renters. There are emergency shelter grant funds for persons experiencing homelessness in the area. Workshops have been facilitated for seniors with reverse mortgages.

Further, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued several executive orders to streamline rebuilding and reduce costs. This includes creating the One-Stop Rebuilding Center, directing city departments to expedite building permit reviews in 30 days or less, and waiving 2025 business taxes for impacted companies.

Los Angeles County is coordinating with the state, philanthropy, and the private sector to connect residents to services that help people navigate recovery processes, where families can receive personalized help with financing, permitting, and building to reduce barriers to recovery.

Additionally, we listened to renters when they asked us to not leave them out. The Los Angeles County’s Fire Recovery Fund includes direct rental assistance. County supervisors are reviewing stronger anti-gouging protections for tenants in fire zones.

The county is working to coordinate with the state and philanthropy to identify “bridge funding” for residents to cover near-term costs to survive and begin rebuilding that are not covered by other funding sources.

Governor Newsom has issued numerous executive orders waiving state permitting requirements to streamline rebuilding. The city and county created one-stop centers in areas hit by fire to support rebuilding activities. This includes Altadena, Calabasas, and Pacific Palisades.

In the county, the Calabasas and Altadena One-Stop Permit Centers offer residents in-person help from various county agencies, where more than 8,500 residents have been helped so far. In the city, more than 4,000 people have been helped at a One-Stop Rebuilding Center so far. County residents can apply for permits online using the EPIC-LA platform, which offers a unified application and review process to simplify navigation. The county is working quickly to meet growing permit demand by reallocating staff and bringing on additional contract workers as needed, as well as rolling out the AI eCheck pilot with Archistar. The county also offers a pre-approved plan catalog with designs that are in compliance with current zoning and building code requirements. Pre-approved plans and streamlined permitting processes can help homeowners rebuild more efficiently, safely, and affordably.

In a parallel effort, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued executive orders directing LA Department of Building and Safety to pilot AI-powered pre-plan checks (Archistar eCheck AI), suspending permit and plan check fees, and launching a library of pre-approved, code-compliant designs to fast-track rebuilds in the city. More than 4,000 city residents have already been helped at the city’s One-Stop Rebuilding Center.

The county is accelerating the permitting and inspection processes through “fast-tracks”, which are streamlined lanes to expedite rebuilding while maintaining safety and code compliance. This includes expanding the pre-approved plan catalog and bundling reviews for similar projects.

The county is also increasing surge capacity by expanding the AI eCheck pilot with Archistar, growing digital and remote inspections, and adding plan checkers and inspectors to handle higher volumes.

The LA County Department of Mental Health and local partners are helping survivors get the support they need, funding shared spaces where people can get free counseling and join trauma support groups.