Trump Targets Coastal Commission, CEQA During LA Visit

President Donald Trump ripped into state and local red tape in remarks about development during his visit to fire-ravaged Los Angeles, as he urged L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to move faster in helping residents who lost their homes to rebuild.

The remarks push Trump into the highly contentious and decades-old debate around California development and environmental regulations.

The president arrived in Los Angeles Friday afternoon to survey the wreckage of the Palisades Fire, walking through the community’s Alphabet Streets neighborhood before sitting for a roundtable discussion with local and state officials.

The visit came after multiple wildfires sparked on Jan. 7, with the largest tearing through the Palisades and Altadena. More than 17,000 structures have been destroyed, while 28 people are confirmed dead. As firefighters work to extinguish the last of the fires, Los Angeles and California leadership have been in overdrive to reduce hurdles to rebuilding.

“A federal permit can take 10 years. We’re not going to do that. We don’t want to take 10 days,” Trump said during the roundtable.

The president turned to Bass, who sat to his right during the discussion, to underscore the need for efficiency. He pointed to stories residents told him of 18-month waits to obtain permits.

“They should be able to start tonight,” Trump said to Bass.

The mayor took Trump to task for the suggestion, reminding him of the hazardous waste cleanup that must be completed before building begins.

Bass also pointed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Recovery Center in West Los Angeles and another in Pasadena, with representatives from the city’s Department of Building and Safety on site to streamline permitting.

“We’re bringing our city departments together so that people don’t get caught in the loop of going from one room to the next,” Bass told Trump and those at the roundtable. “We want them all to be in the same room so that they can get busy rebuilding ASAP.”

Eager to build

Developers are clearly eyeing areas impacted by the fires.

“I’ve had so many calls from developers and they want to come in,” Trump said. “They don’t want anything. They just want to come in and help.”

Residential brokers have shared stories of speculators reaching out almost immediately after the fires’ start, fishing for details on fire-sale prospects to buy lots. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has since made unsolicited offers temporarily illegal in fire-affected areas.

The president didn’t specify which developers reached out to him, but the comment touches on new conversations about what communities such as Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu will look like post wildfires.

Many have voiced concerns on the hurdles that have long been sticking points for California developers.

CEQA reform?

“The governor has waived [the California Environmental Quality Act], which I feel should be completely reformed, if not eliminated,” Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors whose district includes the Palisades, told Trump during the local visit.

CEQA, which went into effect in 1970, is aimed at addressing the environmental impacts of certain developments through mitigation efforts. What those tactics look like are dependent on the project.

“It adds sometimes years onto an application,” Barger added.

Newsom signed an executive order Jan. 12 aimed at streamlining new development by eliminating possible CEQA reviews or California Coastal Act permits to rebuild damaged properties. Still, some wonder if the current situation could lead to CEQA reform. It’s already happening with the California Coastal Commission.

U.S. representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is aiming to limit the scope of the commission’s authority through legislation, which could hold ramifications for many in Malibu who lost their homes to the flames.

“I’ve dealt with the Coastal Commission,” Trump said. “They are considered the most difficult in the entire country and we cannot have them play their games and wait 10 years to give somebody a permit.”

A spokesperson for the commission could not be reached Friday for comment about Trump’s statements.

The Coastal Commission, established in the 1970s, is mandated with protecting California’s coast. As a result, its authority is broad with the oversight of any construction within the coastal zone.

Said Kiley of the commission during the roundtable: “They are out of control.”