Pacific Palisades residents who are rebuilding after the Palisades Fire are one step closer to having building fees waived.
In April, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order to waive building fees in the Palisades, much of which had been destroyed by fire.
The full L.A. City Council sent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ executive order to waive permit fees back to the City Council’s Budget committee in December. The 15-member Council felt there were too many unknowns after L.A. City Administrative officer Yolanda Chavez warned of dire financial consequences of the fee waivers passed.
Los Angeles City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo released a revised proposal on January 16, recommending the City Council waive permit fees for every type of building destroyed by the Palisades Fire — ranging from commercial businesses to apartment buildings and single-family homes.
His plan caps total waivers at $90 million over three years and calls for a funding strategy limiting annual General Fund impact to $30 million.
Based on that new information, about 35 Palisades residents, who had gone downtown for the hearing, listened as the Budget Committee approved Szabo’s plan and then sent that proposal to the Council. For permit waivers to go into effect, the full LA City Council will need to vote on it.
On Instagram, Park said, “Today, [January 20, 2026] the Budget Committee approved a revised plan to waive permit fees for ALL residential AND commercial properties impacted by the fire. The proposal still needs final approval by the full City Council. But we’re closer, and that matters.
“This is a critical issue, critically important issue, for so many people,” Park said. “Colleagues, just a basic reminder, absolutely nothing about this rebuild is voluntary. Not for anyone who lost home or their property on Jan. 7. We owe it to them to take care of them just because it’s the right thing to do.”
She also argued that restricting waivers to single-family homes and duplexes repeats a false narrative about who lives in Pacific Palisades.
“We should not be picking winners and losers,” Park said. “I think the only thing that we really can do here is to stand up for victims, victims who, through no fault of their own, have had everything stolen from them in this catastrophe.”
Hard to believe that it’s been over a year and LA City Council is still scratching their heads over this. This should have been figured out weeks after the fire. Meanwhile, many folks can begin to build until they know if these fees are going to be waived or not. By the way, it would be helpful to know if fees will be waived for ‘other structures’ such as repairing/rebuilding pavers, walls, etc.
Your coverage of this issue has been terrific but I don’t think you mentioned in this article that it was recommended that building fees be waived for up to 110% of the original structure. Fees will most likely be collected for any build amount above the 110%
$90 million staying in the pockets of homeowners of all structure types and businesses is not a small win – it is probably the most financial support the community has received since the fire destroyed our homes and community. It is the direct result of community members making their voices heard, both in person at city hall and in letters to council members, and Traci Park’s leadership. To seal the deal, we need to keep submitting letters to the official file and to show up at City Hall when it is on the Council’s agenda.
Bless Traci Park for standing up for the right thing to do. Too many politicians missed the Golden Rule Lesson and choose only what is best for winners.
I totally agree. If I had a vote, it would be YES!