An aerial image shows homes damaged and destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)
The new SBA guidance allows builders to self-certify compliance with state and local requirements after 60 days of permitting delays, enabling reconstruction to begin without final local approval.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
More than a year after a series of the most expensive and devastating wildfires tore through California, survivors are still stuck in limbo as red tape, rising costs and stalled aid slow recovery. California’s strict rebuilding regulations, combined with the scale of the devastation, help explain why rebuilding has barely begun.
The Eaton and Palisades fires scorched a combined 37,728 acres, an area larger than California's Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios combined, destroying more than 16,200 buildings in their path.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE VICTIMS FACE UPHILL BATTLE AS CORPORATIONS AND INVESTORS SWOOP IN
California Gov. Gavin Newsom examines a scorched utility pole while surveying Dixie Fire damage in Greenville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Plumas County, California. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Meanwhile, California officials say the state is pursuing its own housing initiatives following the wildfires.
Earlier this month, Newsom's office announced $107.3 million in state housing funding for communities impacted by wildfire, supporting nine projects that will create 673 new affordable rental homes across Los Angeles County. The projects will not replace homes destroyed by fire.
Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-bypasses-california-nightmare-bureaucracy-unlock-3-2b-wildfire-survivors