The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath directing County Counsel to monitor the implementation of Presidential Executive Order No. 14377, which seeks to preempt and replace state and local permitting and approval processes for rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
The executive order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Administrator of the Small Business Association, to preempt and replace state and local permitting processes and other similar pre-approval requirements for the rebuilding of structures impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
Horvath said she has been on the ground in impacted communities since the start of the 2025 wildfires, hearing directly from fire survivors, small business owners and workers working to rebuild.
"Fire survivors don't need uncertainty, delays, or federal power grabs—they need real help rebuilding their homes and livelihoods," Horvath said. "This Executive Order is more of the same from the Trump Administration: empty promises with no meaningful disaster relief."
Horvath said the Trump Administration has delayed critical federal disaster recovery funding that thousands of Angelenos across Los Angeles County need to move forward.
"Los Angeles County will not abandon our residents while this administration creates confusion for families and small businesses, slowing recovery on the ground," Horvath said. "We will continue to urgently rebuild our communities safely and resiliently, guided by what our residents need."
The motion, approved Feb. 3, directs County Counsel to work in coordination with the Department of Public Works, the Department of Regional Planning and the Office of Emergency Management.
County Counsel will monitor the implementation of the executive order and provide periodic updates in writing to the Board of Supervisors as necessary.
The board authorized County Counsel to initiate or participate in litigation or amicus filings aimed at protecting the county's local land use and permitting authority, or any other actions related to the executive order.
The board also directed the Office of Emergency Management to analyze and report back in writing in 30 days on how many individuals, businesses, organizations or other entities have received federal emergency relief funds to assist in rebuilding from the Palisades and Eaton Fires and would thus be impacted by the executive order.
Edited by SMDP Staff