CA State Rep. Carl DeMaio Calls for Emergency Session of State Legislature to Remove Crazy Regulations that Will Make Rebuilding an Impossible Nightmare
“California’s liberal politicians should be held accountable for insane laws and negligent management that contributed to this tragedy. The least they could do now is to pass immediate legislation to guarantee that fire victims can quickly and affordably rebuild all that they lost this week.” – CA State Representative Carl DeMaio
As the nation watches in horror as fires continue to rage out of control in Los Angeles, CA State Representative Carl DeMaio says CA liberal politicians should be held accountable for “crazy laws that contributed to this tragedy” and warns “the nightmare is only beginning because existing California state laws and regulations will make it impossible for many fire victims to rebuild.”
Specifically, DeMaio cites a variety of state and local regulations that will make it more expensive and prohibitive for fire victims to rebuild. For example, many of the homes lost in the fire are located in the “California Coastal Zone” governed by the California Coastal Act (CCA) – requiring the notoriously slow and anti-housing CA Coastal Commission to review the projects. Additional state and local laws require a wide-range of upgrades that will spike rebuilding costs and lead to significant delays.
DeMaio knows firsthand the problems fire victims will face – having served as a San Diego city councilmember from 2008-2012 and tasked with helping victims of the Witch and Creek fires rebuild while in local office.
DeMaio is joining other Assemblymembers in calling for a Special Session of the Legislature to “Fire Proof” California – to replace the current Special Session seeking to “Trump-Proof” the state. DeMaio says he wants Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators to immediately pass emergency legislation making it clear that the CCA does not apply to the rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles and enacting other common-sense reforms to streamline the rebuilding process for these victims.”
DeMaio also issues a scathing critique of various laws and examples of “grossly negligent management” by CA politicians that contributed to the crisis – ranging from not adequately funding and staffing the LA Fire Department to failure to shut off power and provide adequate water and infrastructure for fire hydrants to making it hard for communities to clear overgrown dry vegetation to provide defensible space for homes.
“It is unacceptable that fire victims who already have suffered losses because of bad policies of CA’s liberal politicians should have to suffer another set of bad policies as they struggle to rebuild their lives,” says DeMaio. “The least CA politicians can do now is clear the regulatory hurdles for rebuilding,” DeMaio concludes.
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