LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today joined leaders from local organizations including CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), the California Community Foundation, the Department of Angels, the Change Reaction, All Hands & Hearts, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) to celebrate the reopening of Casa Gateway, a residential complex for seniors and families in Pacific Palisades. Casa Gateway was smoke-damaged from the January wildfires and was impacted by mudslides during wet weather earlier this year. Photos and b-roll available here.
“Today is about celebrating seniors and families returning home and restoring stability, peace of mind, and hope for a community that has been through an unimaginable year,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “It’s about proving that when we work together – government, philanthropy, and community – we can overcome any obstacle, and we will continue working together until every family is back home. I want to thank all of the partners here today for making this milestone possible.”
“We're grateful that the Mayor and the Department of Emergency Management trust CORE’s tireless commitment to support Los Angeles when in need. In turn, we call and trust our network of partners and supporters to join us to surround communities in crises," said Ann Lee, Co-founder & CEO, CORE. "CORE is here to keep a promise, to move heaven and earth to support this great city and affected neighborhoods to get back on their feet."
“Casa Gateway shows that when government, philanthropy, and community solve problems together, we can move nimbly to meet needs swiftly at a critical time,” said Miguel A. Santana, President and CEO, California Community Foundation. “This is about much more than repairing fire damage – it’s about restoring dignity, stability, and confidence to those who’ve been through so much since the Palisades Fire.”
“The National Day Laborer Organizing Network has been proud to partner with CORE as we support recovery efforts—prioritizing safety and honoring the invaluable service of our immigrant workers,” said Jose Madera, Director, NDLON. “The January fires impacted thousands of Los Angeles residents and devastated entire neighborhoods. When crisis strikes, it is the strength of community, partnerships, and the dedication of migrant workers that prove vital to recovery and rebuilding.”
Mayor Bass is working across all sectors – public, private, and philanthropic – to deliver what is on track to be the fastest disaster recovery effort in state history. Following CORE’s successful home smoke remediation program in Altadena, the City of Los Angeles reached out to CORE to manage the cleaning and smoke remediation of Casa Gateway.
Residents of Casa Gateway were displaced following the devastating Palisades Fire. CORE and their partners – including the Change Reaction, the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, All Hands & Hearts, and the Department of Angels – remediated the affected units, removed and replaced attic insulation, replaced interior hallway flooring, and painted the interior hallways and community spaces. The City’s Emergency Management Department and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships worked to secure funding to facilitate six inches of mud removal caused by wet weather earlier this year, irrigation repairs, and external wall and tile replacement to complete the work to restore Casa Gateway.
Pacific Palisades Recovery
L.A.’s disaster recovery operation is on track to be the fastest in modern California history. Thanks to Emergency Executive action taken by Mayor Bass, Pacific Palisades rebuilding permits are being approved nearly three times faster than typical single-family home projects before the wildfires, and more than 70% of single-family permit clearances are no longer required.
Construction underway across the Palisades: To date, nearly 800 rebuilding plans have been approved for roughly 440 unique addresses for projects in the Palisades. Hundreds of rebuilding plans are in the process of being reviewed, and at least 230 homes are confirmed to have started construction. The latest permitting numbers for the City of Los Angeles, updated hourly, are available on the dashboard here. The state also published a dashboard showing permits issued for the City of L.A., L.A. County, Malibu, and Pasadena (updated daily).
Debris removal 99.5% complete – ahead of schedule: In coordination with the County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and private contractors, 99.5% of properties in the City of L.A. that were damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire have been cleared of debris and received final sign off, a required step in the rebuilding process. The Private Property Debris Removal program in coordination with the Army Corps was completed nearly a year ahead of original expectations. The debris removal process began just 35 days after the wildfires ignited, roughly half the time it took after the devastating 2018 Woolsey Fire.
Utilities restored at record rate: In just two months, water and power were safely restored for standing homes in the Palisades. In comparison, safe drinking water wasn’t restored until 18 months after the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Fastest hazardous materials clearing in EPA history: Phase 1 of the debris removal finished in 28 days – months ahead of expectations – and removed more than 300 tons of hazardous materials, such as exploded lithium ion batteries, from the Palisades.
Rebuilding key community spaces: Mayor Bass pushed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize debris removal at key community spaces, including the Palisades Rec Center and Palisades Library. The City secured private funding to replace the Pacific Palisades Playground, which reopened last month. In April, Mayor Bass, LA Strong Sports, Steadfast LA and others announced the creation of a public-private partnership to fund, redesign, and rebuild the Palisades Rec Center.
Executive Actions to Expedite and Support Rebuilding:
Cutting red tape: Less than a week after the start of the Palisades Fire, Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 1 (EO1) to cut red tape and streamline the rebuilding process. EO1 established the One-Stop Rebuilding Center, waived CEQA and discretionary processes, directed City departments to expedite building permit reviews in 30 days or less, and more. Nearly 5,000 people have been helped so far at the One-Stop.
Providing tax relief for businesses: Following action to postpone the 2024 City business tax payment deadline for businesses affected by the wildfires, Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 3 waiving 2025 business taxes for impacted firms.
Resilient rebuilding:
On March 21, Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 5 to help Palisades residents expedite the rebuilding of their homes and businesses in ways that better protect against wildfires and other climate-fueled disasters. At the Mayor’s direction, City departments are developing paths forward to promote the use of fire-resistant construction materials to harden homes and businesses, further strengthen the resiliency of utilities to ensure power reliability during severe weather events, and more.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has started work to underground as much of its power system as possible, starting with building a new 34.5kv circuit on Sunset Blvd., which will serve as the ‘backbone’ for LADWP’s plans to underground residential circuits where feasible. This will enable LADWP to expand Distribution Station 29 (DS-29) and introduce a new 12kv mainline system to serve the Palisades. These upgrades will increase the resiliency and reliability of the power system in the Palisades.
Leveraging AI technology to speed up the permitting process: At the end of April, Mayor Bass issued Executive Directive 10 directing the L.A. Department of Building and Safety to report back on the feasibility of implementing an AI tool to accelerate pre-plan check reviews. This summer, the City launched Archistar’s eCheck AI Pilot, which will help homeowners review building plans for compliance with local building and zoning rules prior to submitting them to the City and formally starting the application process.
Suspending the collection of rebuilding fees: Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 7 directing City departments to suspend the collection of permit and plan check fees associated with the repair or reconstruction of homes damaged or destroyed by the January wildfires, pending City Council’s adoption of an amendment to waive these fees.
Expanding pathways for expedited rebuilding: Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 8 to further streamline the permitting process for those seeking to rebuild beyond 110% to align with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order, including an expansion of the scope of single-family home projects eligible for the State's emergency suspension of CEQA and the California Coastal Act.
Local prohibition of SB 9 applications: On July 30, Mayor Bass issued Emergency Executive Order 9 to prohibit Senate Bill 9 applications within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the boundaries of the Palisades Fire area, aligning with Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order.
Creating a public-facing library of pre-approved plans: Mayor Bass issued Executive Directive 13 to launch a pre-approved standard plan pilot program for single-family homes, creating a public-facing, virtual library of pre-approved, code-compliant designs to fast-track rebuild projects.