Allow super-long motel stays. Defer mortgage payments. Waive permit requirements. Ban low-ball offers for ravaged homes.
Hand out cash.
Those were some of the ideas floated as elected representatives from the California Assembly’s Democratic Party Caucus gathered in Pasadena on Jan. 16 to announce new bills meant to bring relief to families devastated by recent fires.
“Members of the California Assembly have your back,” Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur said during opening remarks. “This is one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we must all respond with urgency.”
Zbur said a new bill he coauthored with Speaker Robert Rivas intends to waive the coastal development permit requirements for accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County.
“This bill is about more than just rebuilding structures,” Zbur said. “It’s about restoring a sense of stability, dignity, and hope to those who have lost so much.”
Rivas said lawmakers are prepared to act swiftly to address the needs of those affected.
“If existing laws are throwing up roadblocks to relief, then we will work to remove those roadblocks,” he said, adding that legislators tasked with managing spending and resource allocation will prioritize accountability.
“Oversight is also our job, making sure that the state response is actually working for Los Angeles, not wasting resources or time,” Rivas said.
He invited incoming President-elect Donald Trump to visit the area and said a cooperative partnership would benefit thousands of Californians.
“Come to Los Angeles to see this devastation with your own eyes,” Rivas said. “Let’s rebuild this great American city, and let’s do it together.”
Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor said she is introducing legislation to support families by allowing modifications to residential leases permitting tenants to open homes to family members without violating lease agreements.
Another bill she is authoring prohibits unsolicited offers that are less than market value for properties in areas impacted by the fires. It would also expand the time sellers can rescind sales.
One lawmaker who represents a heavily impacted area—Pacific Palisades and Malibu—and lost one of her Assembly satellite offices in the blaze, said the destruction left the area “unrecognizable.”
“The Pacific Palisades Fire left behind an apocalyptic scene reminiscent of a war zone,” Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin said.
She is coauthoring two pieces of legislation with Assemblyman John Harabedian, who represents the Altadena area, which was also significantly impacted.
“The Eaton Fire is the worst catastrophe we could have imagined,” he said. “It really seems as though the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades are gone as we know it, but this isn’t the end of our story.”
Their new bills seek to deliver relief and establish a framework for recovery, according to the lawmakers.
Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Budget Committee, announced he’s introducing legislation to allow displaced families to stay in hotels and motels for longer than currently permitted.
“It’s especially important for our children and families who’ve been displaced,” Gabriel said. “We’re going to make sure they have stability and security and some sense of place.”
He highlighted the bipartisan nature of the response at the state and federal level.
“We’re going to link arms as elected representatives. We are resilient, we are tough ... we love each other, we care about each other, we are generous folks, and we are going to link arms and rebuild these communities.”
A new bill introduced by Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza will offer basic cash assistance of up to $1,500 per household.
“What people need most is immediate help to ensure that they can survive,” she said.
Another proposal she authored, known as the Small Business Recovery Act, would offer grants ranging from $2,500 to $100,000 for businesses that she said “now face devastation.”
“This is more than about financial aid. It’s about building a system that gets resources to people without unnecessary barriers,” Caloza said. “This recovery must be swift, inclusive, and effective.”
Citing a need to address increased competition for the resources and labor that is needed to rebuild, Assemblyman Nick Schultz said he’s introducing a bill that proposes a six-year moratorium on nonessential residential code changes.
The proposal is meant to block local governments from imposing burdensome regulations, Schultz said.
The order suspends mobile home regulations in Los Angeles County to make it easier for individuals to move temporary housing onto their properties.
The proclamation also extends price gouging moratoriums on rental prices, housing, and hotel and motel rates until March 8.
Debris teams are assigned to remove propane tanks, batteries—including those in traditional and electric vehicles—and pesticides, among other things.
To assist in what officials described as an important first step in debris removal, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing $100 million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to start the cleanup.
Officers are helping respond to reports of unauthorized entry, looting, and other crimes, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
The resources on the way are supplementing the more than 800 highway patrol officers already on alert in the region and the more than 1,000 California National Guard members in the area conducting traffic control operations.
