7,000 Homes Lost, Just 4 Rebuild Permits Approved—What’s Going On in LA?

A full two months after wildfires tore through Pacific Palisades, destroying thousands of homes, Los Angeles has only approved four permits for rebuilding—sparking anger and frustration from residents and lawmakers alike.

Key Facts:

The January wildfires damaged or destroyed over 7,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.
As of March 24—75 days after the fires—only four permits have been issued for rebuilding.
LA Mayor Karen Bass has called the initial permits a “milestone,” while others see it as a sign of failure.
Councilmember Traci Park and State Rep. Joe Patterson have both criticized the city’s slow and inefficient permitting process.
Despite a $1 billion looming city budget deficit, LA awarded a $10 million contract to a private consulting firm to manage recovery.

The Rest of The Story:

The permitting process in Los Angeles has come under intense scrutiny after just four permits were approved for rebuilding homes destroyed in the January wildfires.

Three permits allow for full reconstruction or significant repairs, including one for a split-level home near Rustic Canyon that sustained fire damage.

The first permit wasn’t issued until March 5—almost six weeks after the disaster.

City officials have blamed the delays on a multi-phase process that requires hazardous waste removal and soil cleanup before rebuilding can begin.

But community frustration is growing.

Councilmember Traci Park called the slow pace “concerning” and pointed to systemic failures within the city’s planning and permitting departments.

State Rep. Joe Patterson went further, calling for Los Angeles’ planning and building agencies to be placed under state receivership.

He argued that the city is mismanaging taxpayer funds earmarked specifically for disaster recovery and permitting.

It’s been 75 days since the Los Angeles wildfires broke out and despite Karen Bass vowing to streamline the recovery process and spending 10 million taxpayer dollars on a consulting firm, ONLY FOUR PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED to rebuild in the Pacific Palisades. pic.twitter.com/yc7aCBwq6e

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) March 25, 2025

Commentary:

It should not take more than two months to approve just four permits after thousands of homes have been wiped off the map.

The bureaucracy in Los Angeles has reached a level of dysfunction that borders on parody.

Taxpayers are shelling out billions, yet can’t get a green light to rebuild their homes.

Governor Gavin Newsom promised to cut red tape and streamline permitting right after the fire.

Gavin Newsom: I’m again making it clear that red tape won’t delay rebuilding efforts

Reality: Here is the 15 page form wildfire victims must fill out to give permission for Debi’s removal to begin pic.twitter.com/k2jDiDQBL1

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 28, 2025

Where is that leadership now?

Californians have been burned—literally and figuratively—and all they’re getting in return is delay, paperwork, and empty promises.

Even worse, instead of empowering experienced city departments to handle the recovery, Mayor Bass chose to outsource the job to a private firm for $10 million.

At a time when the city is facing a $1 billion budget shortfall, that decision is hard to justify.

The people who are paid to do this work were sidelined, while outsiders cash in.

If the city’s own employees aren’t trusted to manage the recovery, then maybe it’s time to replace the leadership, not bring in pricey consultants.

This isn’t innovation—it’s evasion.

Newsom might be too busy recording his next podcast episode to care, but for thousands of displaced families, this failure is real and urgent.

When people lose everything, the least the government can do is get out of their way.

The Bottom Line:

Los Angeles has failed its residents in the wake of the Pacific Palisades wildfires.

Just four rebuild permits in 75 days is unacceptable, especially with money and resources already in place.

The bureaucracy isn’t just slow—it’s broken.

Leadership in both the city and the state need to be held accountable, starting with cutting the red tape and focusing on real recovery.