California Gov. Gavin Newsom, desperate to appear as if he’s leading on the wildfire debacle, now tacitly admits that his state’s onerous regulatory apparatus represents an obstacle to blaze victims hoping to eventually reclaim their lives. Rather than a total overhaul, though, he prefers to nibble around the edges.
Newsom recently signed an executive order easing some permitting requirements for those who lost their homes or businesses in the fires that ravaged Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas near Los Angeles. The edict allows those hoping to rebuild to bypass certain requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act.
“California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I’m not going to give that up,” Newsom said on “Meet the Press.” “But one thing I won’t give into is delay. Delay is denial for people: lives, traditions, places torn apart, torn asunder.”
That’s certainly a noble sentiment. But where was that ingenuity when it came to developers and entrepreneurs hoping to meet housing demand in the Golden State while trying to hack their way through the dense regulatory thicket that defines California’s administrative state?
In fact, the governor’s order has significant limitations. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Coastal Act already provides exceptions for fire rebuilds. At the same time, single-family homes are exempt under the Environmental Quality Act. A spokesman for the California Building Industry Association lauded the governor’s move but noted that local governments will also have to relax burdensome regulations if areas are to be rebuilt.