Overview
- The Jan. 23 executive order directs FEMA and the SBA to propose rules that preempt state and local permitting and to allow builder self‑certification for federally funded rebuilds.
- The order sets near‑term timelines for rulemaking and requires an audit of nearly $3 billion in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds, with an initial report expected in roughly 60 days.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass dismissed the move as federal overreach and urged approval of the state’s $33.9 billion disaster‑aid request.
- Survivor advocates say inadequate insurance payouts and lack of capital are the chief obstacles, with fewer than a dozen homes rebuilt and about 900 under construction one year after the fires.
- Legal power to override local land‑use and inspection authority remains unclear, and California’s attorney general said the order is under review.