Southern California Wildfire Impact Series, Part 1

Ghassemian Law Group APC has been closely monitoring the impact and recent legislative updates related to California’s response to the 2025 Southern California wildfires, which included the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, the Hughes Fire, and other fires throughout the region.

The lasting impact of these wildfires, including debris removal, restoration, and rebuilding of damaged properties, will affect Southern California for years to come. Recent estimates have placed wildfire-related damages in the excess of $250 billion – a truly staggering and historical level of loss.

In light of the wildfires and the urgent need for impacted residents to access expedited restoration to damaged property, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have issued several recent executive orders to assist in the rebuilding effort. The changes are discussed below.

Executive Order N-2-25: Expedited Removal and Clean-up of Fire Debris

The key provisions of this Executive Order provide the following:

• The Order suspended the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants who were unemployed as a direct result of the fire and applied for unemployment insurance benefits between January 7, 2025, and July 7, 2025.

• Waiver of fees for any person who lost identification records during the wildfires, including replacements of an identification card, driver’s license, vehicle registration certificate, certificate of title, and registration stickers.

• Waiver of late penalties under Cal. Vehicle Code section 9554 for any person affected by the wildfires for failure to provide timely registration or transfer of title for a vehicle.

• Waiver of any imposed fees for impacted individuals for requested copies of vital records, including birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses and/or records, and dissolution of marriage records if these records were lost or destroyed as a result of fire damage.

Executive Order N-5-25: Expedited Removal of Hazardous Materials

• In an effort to bolster the emergency response to the wildfires, the Order authorizes the suspension of statutes, regulations, rules, and requirements to expedite the removal and cleanup of debris.

• The Order establishes authorization to establish an immediate comprehensive plan for expediting hazardous material debris removal, in conjunction with coordination with impacted local governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to allow faster and more efficient rebuilding in the cities of Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and other communities impacted by the wildfires.

• In further response to the ongoing emergency in Southern California, the Order authorizes the Department of Water Resources, the California Geological Survey, the California Conservation Corp, and other emergency response departments throughout the state to immediately develop a plan to minimize the risk of floods, mudslides, and debris flows in the areas burned by the wildfires.

Executive Order No.1 (Los Angeles): Streamlining of Approval Process

• The Order coordinates debris removal from all impacted areas in preparation for wet weather.

• The Order establishes and creates a “one-stop shop” to assist with the application for permits in all impacted areas in an effort to expedite the permitting process.

• The Order additionally seeks to streamline the permitting process by expediting all building permit reviews/inspections, bypassing state CEQA discretionary review, allowing rebuilding in a “like for like” manner, and waiving the City of Los Angeles discretionary review processes. The Order further directs the Department of Building and Safety to approve temporary certificates of occupancy for 1,400 housing units.

In Part 2 of this series, we will discuss important issues for California contractors to consider before engaging in rebuilding fire-damaged properties, as well as the potential impacts of global tariffs with respect to critical materials for the rebuilding efforts in California.

If you have questions about the possible impact of these new laws on your business or property, please contact the expert construction law attorneys at Ghassemian Law Group here.