President Donald Trump says he has signed an executive order that seeks to speed up reconstruction of tens of thousands of homes destroyed by the Los Angeles area wildfires in 2025. A White House statement says Trump’s order signed Friday seeks to allow homeowners to rebuild without contending with bureaucratic red tape. It directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to find ways to issue regulations that would preempt state and local rules for permits. California Gov. Gavin Newsom scoffed at the idea that the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits. The Associated Press has found that fewer than a dozen of the area homes had been rebuilt as of early January.
