The agreements, reached in both cities within roughly a year of the fires, mark a reversal for local officials who had moved to block a state housing law from applying in fire-ravaged neighborhoods. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had signed executive orders last summer allowing cities and counties to suspend the law, known as Senate Bill 9, in areas classified as “very high” fire hazard zones within the Eaton and Palisades burn areas.

SB 9, passed by state lawmakers in 2021, allows homeowners to split single-family lots and construct duplexes on each half, effectively opening the door to as many as four housing units where zoning once permitted just one home.

The pro-development legal group YIMBY Law challenged the executive orders in court, naming the governor, the mayor, and four local jurisdictions that had opted to block the law. The organization argued that none of them had the legal authority to override legislation approved by the state.

Under the newly finalized settlements, both Malibu and Pasadena agreed to rescind their local ordinances blocking duplex development and to process all SB 9 applications, including those already filed. Pasadena’s City Council approved the change unanimously on July 20. Malibu has until Sept. 29 to formally repeal its restriction.

“For people who are living, or hoping to live, or hoping to move back to Malibu and Pasadena, SB 9 is back,” said Sonja Trauss, executive director of YIMBY Law.

The settlements arrive amid ongoing tension between fire survivors and housing advocates over how devastated neighborhoods should be rebuilt. Many residents who lost homes in the Eaton and Palisades fires have opposed denser rebuilding, citing worries over evacuation routes, traffic congestion and changes to the character of their communities. Among the most outspoken opponents was reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who leaned into public frustration over the state and local wildfire response during an unsuccessful bid for Los Angeles mayor.

Supporters of the law counter that it gives fire victims greater financial flexibility to rebuild at a time when construction costs are soaring and insurance payouts have often fallen short or been delayed.

The vast majority of the more than 16,000 structures lost in the two fires were located in the city of Los Angeles and in unincorporated Altadena, meaning the settlements with Malibu and Pasadena affect a smaller share of fire-damaged properties. Still, Trauss said the outcome sends an important signal about the strength of the law.

“The writing is on the wall,” she said. “It’s a good signal when parties are settling because it indicates the respondents’ feelings about how defendable their side is.”

The legal fight is far from over. Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles, Newsom and Bass remain defendants in the ongoing lawsuit.

At the same time, state lawmakers are weighing a related measure. State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, a Democrat representing Altadena, introduced legislation this summer that would temporarily exempt the unincorporated community from SB 9 and another housing law, reflecting the continued debate over how best to balance rebuilding needs with local concerns in fire-affected areas.

Original source: CalMatters

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Northwest of Los Angeles, the Mountain Fire exploded in size and prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, according to a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom. He said he has requested federal assistance for the area east of the Pacific coast city of Ventura.

The blaze was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. The fire grew from less than half of a square mile to 16 square miles (62 square kilometers) in little more than five hours.

Ventura County Fire Captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing with their engines to homes threatened by the flames to save lives.

“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ neck I’m sure was standing up,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries.

The erratic winds and limited visibility grounded fixed-wing aircraft, and gusts topped 61 mph (98 kph), said weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. Water-dropping helicopters were still flying.

First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away and sparked new flames.

“This fire is moving dangerously fast,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said.

Aerial footage from local television networks showed dozens of homes in flames across several neighborhoods as embers were whipped from home to home. Other footage captured horses trotting alongside evacuating vehicles.

Jade Katz, who said she is disabled and does not drive, waited for a friend to pick her up near her Camarillo Heights home with a suitcase full of medication and Bella, her Great Dane service dog. But the friend couldn’t reach her, so first responders sent a squad car to escort her to safety as she watched the neighborhood burn.

Officials said they were using all resources, including water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant, but it was still burning out of control Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County fire spokesperson, said he did not have details of how many structures had been damaged.

Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he’s waiting to see whether conditions will change to decide if he should evacuate his horses and cattle. Around 12:30 p.m., his animals were still safe and he was trying to stay out of the way as others got their livestock out.

His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpaca, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon did not seem panicked.

“The horse community, they prepare for this because it’s always a possibility up here,” he said.

Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties. Residents were urged to shelter in place while aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre (20-hectare) Broad Fire. It was 15% contained around 12:30 p.m. with forward progress stopped. Fire officials said two structures burned.

The National Weather Service office for the Los Angeles area amended its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label, and officials in several counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.

With predicted gusts between 50 mph (80 kph) and 100 mph (160 kph) and humidity levels as low as 8%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, the weather service said.

Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California’s central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds were also expected.

Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure. On Wednesday, more than 65,000 customers in Southern California were without power preventatively, and upwards of 20,000 in Northern California.

Wednesday’s fires were burning in the same areas of other recent destructive fires, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the the 2017 Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes.

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