Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday exempted fire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles County from a state law that allows duplexes and multiunit residences to replace single-family homes.
The governor’s executive order came after local officials voiced concerns about increased population density possibly leading to public safety and infrastructure issues. The order allows local governments in the LA area to limit development in neighborhoods impacted by January’s wildfires by suspending provisions in Senate Bill 9, a 2021 law that allows up to four units on properties that previously were zoned for single-family residences.
“We will continue to assist communities in rebuilding safely in ways that are responsive to local concerns,” Newsom said in a statement. “This executive order responds directly to requests from local officials and community feedback, recognizing the need for local discretion in recovery and that not all laws are designed for rebuilding entire communities destroyed by fires overnight.”
The exemption applies to high-severity burn areas, including the entirety of Pacific Palisades within the city of LA, Malibu, unincorporated Sunset Mesa and the eastern foothills of Altadena, according to the governor’s office. The order’s duration coincides with the state of Newsom’s state of emergency declaration for the Los Angeles region.
The executive order also paused SB 9 developments for seven days in the affected areas to give local governments time to develop their own standards.
The move drew positive responses from city and county officials.
“I appreciate Governor Newsom’s executive order today, which restores local control over important land use matters, like SB 9, in high fire severity zones,” District 3 LA County Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena and areas in the path of the Eaton Fire, said in a statement.
“SB 9, like other state housing legislation, was intended to support thoughtful, phased-in development — not immediate implementation in the wake of a major disaster,” Barger said. “Empowering local jurisdictions to make reasonable decisions about development patterns in wildfire-prone areas is a smart and necessary step.”
Barger added that before “lot splitting or additional housing is considered in these high-risk zones, we must ensure proper infrastructure and fire safety measures are in place.”
She also said a “top priority remains protecting Altadena’s unique community character and preventing the displacement of my constituents.”
Despite the concerns about density and public safety, Barger called for “balanced housing solutions — ones that responsibly expand access to housing while protecting public safety and preserving the integrity of our neighborhoods.”
She noted “the value of allowing property owners outside of high fire severity zones to build additional units — whether to generate supplemental income, support recovery efforts or preserve multi-generational living arrangements that have long existed in our communities. This kind of flexibility is essential for helping residents stay rooted while also contributing to our region’s broader housing needs.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a similar order to Newsom’s prohibiting SB 9 applications within the Pacific Palisades burn area.
“SB 9 was not originally intended to be used in the rebuilding of a community that was decimated by the worst natural disaster LA has ever seen,” Bass said in a statement. “I thank Governor Newsom for working with my office to provide some sense of solace for a community working to rebuild.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, Bass said SB 9 was passed to create more housing, which is in critically short supply in the LA area and many other locations statewide.
“Legislators in Sacramento could not have foreseen the bill’s impact on the Palisades community as it works to rebuild from one of the worst natural disasters in state history,” Bass said.
More than 5,000 single-family homes were damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire, with over 4,000 lost in the Eaton Fire.
Bass warned that SB 9 could allow property owners and developers to rebuild with structure that have multiple residential units, which could significantly hinder access to a very high severity zone for fire hazards.
“It could fundamentally alter the safety of the area by straining local infrastructure,” the mayor said. “I oppose this usage as it relates to the rebuilding in the Palisades, and I look forward to continuing work with Governor Newsom and state leaders to advocate for the Palisades community and identify a path forward as we continue to rebuild.”
LA City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, sent a letter Tuesday to Newsom that warned SB 9 could lead to an “unforeseen explosion of density.”
According to Park, “Given the widespread destruction of the Pacific Palisades, its topography, and limitations to infrastructure, ingress and egress, I am requesting that SB 9 and other laws permitting increases in density be suspended until such time an analysis can be conducted to determine the capacity of our evacuation routes and infrastructure can adequately accommodate this increased density.”
The Pacific Palisades Community Council, a residents group, also wrote to Newsom and LA elected officials requesting suspension of SB 9.
“We write now to urgently request that our government officials take immediate steps to protect the community from forced additional density that will result from opportunistic developers seeking to take advantage of the widespread destruction of single-family homes caused by the Palisades Fire to build multi-family housing under the streamlined procedures of SB 9,” the community council’s letter said. “These efforts, if unchecked, pose a grave risk to public safety, and ultimately, to preservation of the essential character of Pacific Palisades.”
The county’s website with information on wildfire recovery is recovery.lacounty.gov.
