Addressing State and Local Failures To Rebuild Los Angeles After Wildfire Disasters

Executive Order 14377 is an executive action signed by the President that orders federal steps to speed rebuilding in Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon after Los Angeles wildfires (Sec. 1, Sec. 2). It directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to consider regulations that preempt state and local permitting and allow federal self-certification for rebuilding (Sec. 3(a)). It requires fast publication deadlines for those regulations and directs agency reviews, audits of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds, and possible enforcement or recoupment actions (Sec. 3(b); Sec. 6). This matters because it aims to get homeowners and small businesses back into rebuilt homes and reopened shops more quickly (Sec. 2).