Governor Gavin Newsom plans to issue a decree on Wednesday allowing governments of the Los Angeles region to limit development in the districts affected by forest fires by exempting them from the provisions of a law on historic housing, said a spokesperson for his office.
The proposed order would allow the City and the County of Los Angeles and Malibu would not limit the construction which was authorized under Bill 9 of the Senate, a law of 2021 which allows owners to build up to four units on land previously reserved for unifamilial houses.
The order would apply to the Pacific palisades and the parties of Malibu and Altadena – the areas that burned in the palisades and the January Eaton fires which are designated as “areas of severity of the very high fire risks” by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the news of Newsom, Tara Gallegos.
The decision was made after the concerns about the potential of an increase in significant population if there was generalized use of SB 9 developments in reconstruction areas, which makes evacuations of future fires even more difficult, Gallegos said.
The Governor’s plan follows the pressure this week of elected officials in Los Angeles. On Monday, the member of the municipal council Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, sent a letter to Newsom asking to suspend SB 9, warning that otherwise there could be “an unforeseen explosion of density” in a risky area.
“When SB 9 was adopted in state law, it has never been intended to capitalize on a horrible catastrophe,” wrote Park.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass published a declaration supporting Park’s request, citing similar concerns concerning SB 9 evacuation routes and local infrastructure in the palisades.
“This could fundamentally change the security of the region,” said Bass.
