Damaged structures from the Palisades Fire are seen Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The fire, which has burned thousands of acres, began Tuesday and continued on Wednesday.
Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom has extended an emergency order aimed at easing temporary housing restrictions for residents displaced by this year’s devastating firestorms in the Los Angeles area. The executive order, first issued in early March, will now remain in effect until October 1, 2025.
At the heart of the extension is a suspension of regulatory limits that typically apply to short-term stays in hotels, motels, and other rentals. Ordinarily, guests who stay longer than 30 days risk being reclassified as tenants under California law, triggering a set of legal protections that can make it harder for property owners to offer flexible lodging. The governor’s order bypasses that threshold, allowing survivors to remain in short-term accommodations without triggering tenant status.
The move underscores the ongoing difficulty of housing those displaced by the firestorm, which scorched homes and businesses across large swaths of Los Angeles earlier this year. While the immediate danger has passed, the process of rebuilding remains slow, hindered by bureaucratic delays, insurance disputes, and a historically tight housing market.
Newsom has made clear that he wants to cut through that red tape. In recent months, the governor has taken a series of executive actions to remove permitting requirements, suspend environmental reviews, and reduce regulatory obstacles to reconstruction. At the same time, he has introduced a new AI tool to expedite building permit approvals and rolled out a digital engagement platform called Engaged California, designed to give residents more direct input into policy decisions.
But while these moves signal a proactive approach from Sacramento, the deeper challenge lies in translating executive orders into actual outcomes for displaced families. With limited affordable housing and rising construction costs, temporary shelter remains the only option for many — and that option, too, is growing precarious as time drags on.
Local advocates and city officials have raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of relying on hotels and short-term rentals as a patchwork housing solution. Without significant new investment in permanent affordable housing, they argue, the state risks perpetuating a cycle in which disaster survivors remain stuck in limbo.
Still, the governor’s latest extension may offer short-term relief in a moment of persistent uncertainty. Whether it’s enough to keep vulnerable residents housed as rebuilding efforts continue is a question that may not be answered until long after the smoke has cleared.
