The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved to speed up rebuilding efforts in Altadena following the deadly Eaton Fire, which destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures.
Supervisors approved a motion by Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath that calls for a Unified Permitting Authority at the Altadena One-Stop Permit Center to expedite the residential rebuilding process.
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on the County’s One-Stop Permitting Shop and to be candid — I’m not satisfied with the pace,” Barger said in a statement. “No rebuild permits have been issued in Altadena and that’s unacceptable. Today’s motion will cut through the red tape to get my Altadena constituents back on track to rebuilding faster. We don’t have time to waste.”
The UPA will make final permitting decisions across departments, resolve regulatory conflicts in real time and eliminate bottlenecks that have slowed down recovery work, Barger’s office reported. Regional Planning, Public Works, Public Health and Fire are the county departments most involved in approving rebuilding plans and will assign senior-level liaisons to the One-Stop Center.
The motion also required transparency measures in the form of “operational protocols and performance metrics for real-time decision-making, accountability, and coordination with department staff,” including publicly accessible “dashboards” to track the permitting process.
“Helping our communities recover swiftly and effectively from this year’s devastating fires is Los Angeles County’s highest priority,” Horvath said in a statement. “We must ensure the rebuilding process is not only fast and efficient but also equitable and accessible for every resident.”
She added that the Calabasas One-Stop Permitting Center, created after the 2018 Woolsey Fire, “stands as a proven model of what’s possible when we prioritize people over red tape. I’m committed to enhancing this approach and bringing the same level of responsive support to our neighbors in Altadena,” Horvath said.
The Altadena One-Stop Permit Center is at 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210. More information is available on the county’s fire recovery website.
The Eaton Fire erupted Jan. 7 amid hurricane-force winds and destroyed 9,414 structures — including about 7,000 in Altadena — damaged 1,074 structures and caused the deaths of 18 people, officials said.
