Newsom To Pause Law Allowing More Units On Single-Family Lots In LA Burn Areas
Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday exempting neighborhoods burned by the Eaton and Palisades fires from a state bill allowing for larger development on single-family home lots.
The order would allow Malibu and the city and county of Los Angeles to “restrict construction” that would have been allowed by Senate Bill 9, which permits construction of up to four residences on single-family-zoned lots, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Newsom’s action comes as a response to LA leaders’ concerns about allowing more people to live in an area that is a very high fire danger zone, making future evacuations more difficult, a Newsom spokesperson told the LA Times.
In the Palisades fire area especially, the evacuation process for many was chaotic and terrifying due to the limited number of major roads in and out of the affected communities and the number of people trying to leave.
In many cases, residents reported making a mad dash to gather important belongings and information, only to sit in smoky air and gridlock so bad that some ultimately decided to leave their cars behind and reach safety on foot.
On Monday, Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades, wrote a letter to Newsom requesting he pause SB 9 in this case to avoid a surge in density in the vulnerable area, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement released Wednesday that legislators could not have imagined the scenario in which the Palisades now finds itself when they drafted SB 9. Echoing concerns about challenges posed to future evacuations by adding housing in the burn area, Bass also noted that adding units here could stress infrastructure and “fundamentally alter the safety of the area.”
“I oppose this usage as it relates to rebuilding in the Palisades,” Bass said.
As of July 10, 800 homeowners in the Eaton and Palisades fire burn areas have filed applications for permits to rebuild their homes, the LA Times previously reported. Those figures far outpace the number of lots sold or in the process of selling as of June, according to the LA Times.
