LETTERS: Opposing Senate Bill 549 that Would Take Away Local Control

Evening light falls across homes and neighborhoods devastated by the Palisades Fire. In the center of the photo is George Wolfberg Park. The photo was taken on January 15.                                                    (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy)

(Editor’s note: Several people have expressed dismay over SB 549, which they feel is being rushed into legislation by Senator Ben Allen, without being properly vetted. CTN spoke to Sen. Allen today and will share that conversation tomorrow.)

OPPOSE SB 549

I’m writing as a Pacific Palisades homeowner and fire survivor to strongly oppose SB 549. This bill would remove local input from land use decisions in fire-impacted communities like mine, giving unprecedented power to LA County to rezone and redevelop without neighborhood oversight.

After losing our home in the January fires, we’ve worked hard to understand the rebuild process, navigate city permitting, and reestablish trust in government systems. SB 549 would take us backward—risking displacement, overdevelopment, and community harm just when neighborhoods like ours are finding our footing again.

Please vote NO on SB 549 and protect the voices of fire-affected residents.

NO ON SB 549

(The following letter was sent to County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and cc’d to CTN.)

We lost our family home of 34 years in the Palisades Fire along with so many of your constituents who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire.  Please don’t limit your and Councilmember Park’s power to care for us during this critical period while our communities devote ourselves to rebuilding our homes.  You and Councilmember Park have our backs!

I urge you to vote NO on SB 549. I strongly oppose the creation of a new “Resilient Rebuilding Authority.”

• The bill would add bureaucracy to a process that is already locally well-managed.  We don’t need more red-tape!
• A new state-level entity would cause further delays. Please don’t slow down the already difficult process!
• SB 549 undermines local control and shifts decision-making to a remote unelected body with no direct accountability to our community.  We need local community engagement and control to assure our interests are being represented. Please don’t marginalize our neighborhood.
• This bill would divert public funds and administrative capacity away from local efforts to reclaim our neighborhood. At a time of significant fiscal pressure, this is neither a prudent, nor a justifiable use of taxpayer dollars.

Please stand with us and allow us to heal and rebuild by coming together as the strong communities that we are without the interference of remote unelected officials.  Please vote NO on SB 549.

PART OF SB 549 TEXT: 

SB-549 Local government: Second Neighborhood Infill Finance and Transit Improvements Act: Resilient Rebuilding Authority for the Los Angeles Wildfires.(2025-2026). The Bill was introduced by Senator Ben Allen on February 20, 2025.

Bill Text can be read in its entirety click here. Division 9 sums up part of the bill.

DIVISION 9. Resilient Rebuilding Authority for the Los Angeles Wildfires

62470.

  The County of Los Angeles may establish a Resilient Rebuilding Authority for the Los Angeles Wildfires to coordinate, accelerate, and streamline recovery in all jurisdictions impacted by the January 2025 wildfires.

62470.1.

  The County of Los Angeles, in order to support the rebuilding and protection of homes, businesses, utilities, and other public infrastructure, may empower the authority, to the extent permitted by existing law, to engage in all of the following responsibilities:

(a) Issue, receive, and administer funds, including, but not limited to, tax-increment financing, federal loans and grants, state loans and grants, and philanthropic grants, to support recovery.

(b) Manage and coordinate rebuilding and related logistics between public and private reconstruction, including, but not limited to, private contractors, public and private utilities, and local governments.

(c) Purchase lots at a fair price for land banking with first look sale options provided to returning residents and their families, and to create community amenities such as open space that promotes community-scale resiliency and insurability.

(d) Work with builders to reconstruct properties designed and built to resilient construction standards, and that prioritize strategies for accelerated and cost-effective rebuilding.

(e) Create economies of scale for acquiring equipment and materials to cost-effectively purchase critical construction materials in bulk.

(f) Support the reconstruction workforce by partnering with trades, facilitating training and workforce development, and creating temporary workforce housing.

(g) Enhance financing options for families and businesses that cannot afford to rebuild by deploying subsidized financing and grants in partnership with private lenders, community development finance institutions, private philanthropy, and nonprofit organizations.

(h) Facilitate reconstruction of lost rental housing stock, including by promotion of accessory dwelling units, senior-serving housing, and replacement of affordable housing lost in the fires.

(i) Carry out other activities that enhance neighborhood and property insurability and affordability, and promote a resilient and sustainable recovery.

(j) Provide a meaningful mechanism for community engagement.

SEC. 3.

  The Legislature finds and declares, with respect to Section 2 of this act, that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances facing the County of Los Angeles due to the wildfires of January 2025.