Board approves urgent wildfire recovery motion directing fast-track rebuilding, asking state for temporary waivers

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 unanimously approved a motion directing county agencies to speed reconstruction in wildfire‑impacted unincorporated communities and to coordinate state, federal and private resources to support recovery.

The motion, introduced by Supervisor Catherine Barger and co‑authored by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, directs multiple departments to create one‑stop permitting and local assistance centers, stand up surge staffing and contracting authority for quick reconstruction and infrastructure repairs, and asks the county CEO to seek limited, temporary waivers from select state housing and permitting requirements for fire‑impacted areas.

In a nearly three‑hour discussion, regional planning, public works, fire, the Office of Emergency Management and other departments described the scale of the task in front of the county. Amy Vodick, director of the Department of Regional Planning, told the board that the department cannot process an immediate influx of thousands of rebuild applications with current staffing. “We cannot accommodate this new growth given our current resources,” she said, adding that the county had rezoned 60,000 parcels in recent years and would return many areas to prior rules if property owners did not rebuild within five years.

Public concerns centered on two issues: speed and protection. Supervisors and department heads debated how to make permitting faster without abandoning safety…