For families who lost everything in last year’s wildfires, the damage did not end when the flames died out. More than a year later, many are still unable to rebuild, stalled by local permitting delays that have slowed recovery across parts of Los Angeles.
Amid growing frustration over rebuilding delays, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, U.S. Army Civil Works Assistant Secretary Adam Telle, and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler gathered at a roundtable press conference with local residents and business owners in the Pacific Palisades to address efforts to rebuild the community.
After the conference, the officials visited homes destroyed by the wildfires.
Although the Trump administration has shown a rapid response to the destruction, residents are experiencing frustrating roadblocks to rebuilding.
“Since Day One, President Trump has surged billions in resources to support the Los Angeles wildfire recovery effort, including $3.2 billion across 12,000 SBA loans to help residents rebuild,” said Loeffler in a statement. “One year later, thousands of families and small business owners are now suffering from a second disaster, which is the local permitting process that has prevented them from accessing these funds to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.”
In order to expedite restoring the affected communities, Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 23, 2026, directing that “federally funded reconstruction projects for homes and businesses in the wildfire-impacted neighborhoods of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas proceed with the maximum speed consistent with public safety, and that Federal assistance not be frustrated by unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive permitting requirements that prevent families and businesses from rebuilding.”
Trump appointed Zeldin to help lead this effort and break through local permitting delays.
The EPA head issued the following statement: “Many LA residents lost everything in these fires. It’s well past time to clear any remaining hurdles that have been adding to an already painful experience. I look forward to working with Mayor [Karen] Bass and Supervisor [Kathryn] Barger to delivering the much-needed relief the citizens of Los Angeles have been calling for.”
Under the executive order, the SBA has “issued a new rule that will allow disaster borrowers to self-certify compliance with substantive state and local rebuilding requirements when they have waited 60 or more days for their permits or other approvals,” according to the EPA, allowing some wildfire survivors to begin rebuilding without waiting for prolonged local permit approval.
