Trump Says He Wants To 'Take Over' CA With Latest Executive Order

LOS ANGELES, CA — President Donald Trump says he wants to "take over the city and state" when it comes to rebuilding efforts following the Palisades and Eaton fires and says a new executive order could help achieve that.

Trump on Friday signed the order that the White House says will "cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed up reconstruction" in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas.

“I want to see if we can take over the city and state and just give the people their permits they want to build,” Trump told the California Post.

The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to issue regulations that preempt state and local permitting requirements and allow builders to "self-certify" that they have complied with "state and local substantive health, safety and building standards," the White House said in a release.

It also "directs the development of legislative proposals that would enable EFMA and the SBA to address situations in which state or local governments are not enabling timely recovery after disasters," according to the release.

Additionally, the order direct FEMA to determine whether "any of California's nearly $3 billion in unspent Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds were awarded arbitrarily or contrary to law, and to conduct a full audit of California’s use of those funds."

Trump administration officials say the executive order takes action in the face of "permitting failures," blaming local and state government action for a languid rebuild process.

But Gov. Gavin Newsom said a lack of money is the problem.

"The Feds need to release funding not take over local permit approval speed — the main obstacle is COMMUNITIES NOT HAVING THE MONEY TO REBUILD," Newsom's press office posted on X.

With 1,625+ home permits issued, hundreds of homes under construction, and permitting timelines at least 2x faster than before the fires, an executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful.

The Feds need to release funding not take over local permit approval speed — the… https://t.co/YjO2x8JFLu
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 27, 2026

Some fire survivors have said government regulations have slowed the pace of rebuilding. Other sources of tension include insufficient or slow insurance payouts and payments from Southern California Edison, along with a limited amount of construction labor for the massive demand.

Together, the Palisades and Eaton fires killed at least 31 people and destroyed 16,000 structures, many of them homes.

• Related: 1 Year Later, Life Is Far From Back To Normal For Palisades And Eaton Fire Survivors

As of Jan. 7, the city of Los Angeles has issued just two certificates of occupancy for rebuilt homes in and around the Palisades, which means the houses are move-in ready. The city received 3,072 applications for rebuilding at 1,399 addresses; 1,446 permits have been issued, according to the city's online dashboard.

The county has reported seven completed construction projects in Altadena and unincorporated areas near the Palisades and issued one certificate of occupancy. It received 2,899 rebuild applications and a total of 1,460 building plans have been finalized and approved, according to county documents.

About 900 homes are under construction in both fire areas, potentially on pace to be completed later this year.

Trump has prominently fought with California officials over topics including wildfire response and immigration enforcement.

In June, he again suggested that he might withhold federal disaster funding for the wildfires because of his ongoing feud with Newsom.