News release
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to implement the Los Angeles County Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority, a landmark step in the county’s long-term recovery from the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires, according to a news release from the office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
The motion, co-authored by Barger and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, officially establishes the authority as the county’s unified coordinating body for disaster recovery, operationalized within the Department of Public Works, with the mission of rebuilding fire-impacted unincorporated communities with speed, accountability and resilience.
“Today’s action sends a clear message: We are fully committed to bringing dedicated resources to rebuild this community,” Barger, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley as well as the Altadena communities affected by the 2025 Eaton Fire, said in the release. “The Rebuild Authority will consist of a lean, mission-driven team with a singular focus: cutting through red tape, accelerating the rebuilding of public infrastructure, and making sure every dollar of local, state and federal funding available is put to work for the families and communities still struggling to return home. Our residents have shown incredible resilience. They deserve a fully funded, seamless county system working night and day to get them back.”
“Sixteen months after the Palisades and Eaton Fires, families are still waiting to rebuild and communities are still working to recover,” Horvath said in the release. “The creation of a Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority will give Los Angeles County the dedicated leadership and coordination needed to rebuild at the scale this moment demands — accelerating infrastructure recovery, streamlining coordination across agencies, and helping bring people home faster.”
In January 2025, the Eaton and Palisades Fires resulted in the loss of 31 lives, the destruction or damage of more than 16,000 structures, and the long-term displacement of thousands of county residents.
Since then, Los Angeles County has made meaningful strides through the establishment of One-Stop Permitting Centers and a Unified Permitting Authority, the release said. To date, the county has received more than 3,300 permit applications and issued more than 2,300 residential permits. More than 1,400 homes are under construction in Altadena, with 49 homes already completed. The county has also provided more than $17 million in fee deferrals and refunds to ease financial burdens on rebuilding residents.
The motion officially establishes the Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority as the county’s unified coordinating body for recovery efforts, with responsibility for integrating and aligning the full spectrum of recovery functions across county departments without superseding their individual operational authorities.
Effective immediately, the county is launching “Phase 0,” staffing the Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority with a specialized team of 13 full-time positions dedicated to finalizing a comprehensive operational plan, aligning with One-Stop Permitting Centers, and advancing the Infrastructure Master Plan in coordination with affected communities.
In Altadena alone, the county faces more than $2 billion in public infrastructure restoration costs. This includes identifying solutions to help more than 600 homes transition from septic-to-municipal sewer systems, addressing the challenges facing private and mutual water districts and their infrastructure, and working to underground utility infrastructure, the release said.
