California politicians are rushing to make it easier for residents to rebuild their homes incinerated in the Los Angeles firestorms. That means waiving green construction mandates designed to combat climate change — which is driving such conflagrations by making conditions hotter and drier — as well as suspending environmental reviews and promising to expedite permits.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order on Monday to ease rebuilding nearly 3,000 houses destroyed in Pacific Palisades. The order suspends an ordinance that would have required replacement homes to be all-electric, which would have greatly reduced the use of natural gas in a high-risk fire zone.
Related: Fire-Ravaged LA to See Respite But Danger ‘Not Yet Passed’
California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a $2.5 billion “Marshall Plan” for LA’s recovery. On Thursday he announced an executive order fast-tracking approval of temporary housing, such as accessory dwelling units and trailers, that can be placed on burned properties so residents can return.
His office is also reviewing state building codes that could be suspended to speed rebuilding, among them a mandate that solar p