In a statement, Bass’s office said:
Just over six months since the start of the devastating January wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today issued two new executive actions to expedite the rebuilding process in Pacific Palisades:
Emergency Executive Order 8 will further streamline the permitting process for those seeking to rebuild beyond 110% to align with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent order, including an expansion of the scope of single-family home projects eligible for the State’s emergency suspension of CEQA and the California Coastal Act.
Executive Directive 13 will launch a pre-approved standard plan pilot program for single-family homes, creating a public-facing, virtual library of pre-approved, code-compliant designs to fast-track rebuild projects.
Additionally, the City will issue an open call to architects and building professionals to submit their designs for City pre-approval and inclusion in the virtual library, which will continue to grow over time.
“While our recovery is on track to be the fastest in modern California history, I know that nothing will erase the unimaginable pain and loss that the Palisades community has endured,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “With debris removal months ahead of expectations, construction underway, and new action taken today to further streamline the rebuilding process, we continue to push forward in our all out effort to get families home.”
Some residents had supported the suggestion of pre-approved designs. But other commenters on social media suspected that Bass was pushing her “Smart City LA 2028” agenda in favoring particular designs.
The move came as Bass has been criticized for the slow pace of rebuilding, especially the failure of the city to follow through on promises of speedy permit processing for those who lost their homes in the January fire.
Bass appeared to take credit for the fast pace of debris removal, but that was done by federal agencies and private contractors. She also said that 300 permits had been improved — but left out that 900 had applied.
An earlier executive order by Bass to stop the collection of permit fees for Palisades residents also ran into trouble, as the city council has yet to approve the waiver of fees, amid opposition from other parts of the city.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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