New Los Angeles County Agency to Centralize Rebuild Work

Los Angeles County is formalizing its long-term wildfire recovery apparatus with a new agency tasked with cutting through the bureaucracy that often slows down rebuilding after major disasters.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to establish the Los Angeles County Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority, a centralized entity that will coordinate rebuilding efforts in unincorporated communities impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

The authority’s creation was first proposed in February — more than a year after the fires took place — by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath, both of whom represent areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires. The new agency will operate within the Department of Public Works with a 13-person staff focused solely on recovery operations. The move comes 16 months after the January 2025 fires killed 31 people, damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 structures and displaced thousands across Los Angeles County.

“The Rebuild Authority will… [have] 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,” Barger said in a statement. “Our residents have shown incredible resilience. They deserve a fully funded, seamless county system working night and day to get them back.”

The agency will oversee coordination across county functions including permitting, infrastructure restoration and funding deployment, though it won’t step on the authority of individual departments. County officials also plan to create a separate disaster recovery oversight team within the executive office to monitor progress and funding use. The goal is to consolidate wildfire recovery efforts under one roof rather than across various government bodies.

Barger said the county is staring down more than $2 billion in infrastructure restoration costs, including roads, sewers, septic systems and underground utility and water work. During Tuesday’s meeting, Barger touted her and Mayor Karen Bass’ trip last month to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump and ask for $8 billion in federal support for the county, in addition to $8 billion for the City of Los Angeles.

In the 16 months since the deadly blazes, county officials said they’ve received more than 3,300 permit applications and issued over 2,300 residential permits. In Altadena alone, more than 1,400 homes are under construction and 49 have been completed. The county has also approved more than $17 million in fee deferrals and refunds to ease rebuilding costs for homeowners.

— Chris Malone Méndez