Administrators Zeldin, Loeffler Issue Statement on Meeting with Mayor Karen Bass and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in Los Angeles on Accelerating Wildfire Rebuild Efforts
February 4, 2026
Contact Information
EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)
LOS ANGELES – On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler participated in meetings in the Pacific Palisades with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger focused on speeding up the rebuilding process to help wildfire victims demanding long-overdue assistance. Administrators Zeldin and Loeffler issued the following statement:
“Our conversations with Mayor Bass and Supervisor Barger about accelerating the rebuilding process in Los Angeles were productive. We discussed a variety of ways to clear a path to rebuilding, which includes advancing efficient and expeditious permitting for thousands of residents as one of many top priorities. Administrator Loeffler and I, on behalf of President Trump, asked these local elected officials to join us in this urgent effort, and I am hopeful great progress will be made in the days and weeks ahead. Many LA residents lost everything in these fires. It’s well past time to clear any remaining hurdles that have been adding to an already painful experience. I look forward to working with Mayor Bass and Supervisor Barger to delivering the much-needed relief the citizens of Los Angeles have been calling for,” said Administrator Zeldin.
“Since Day One, President Trump has surged billions in resources to support the Los Angeles wildfire recovery effort, including $3.2 billion across 12,000 SBA loans to help residents rebuild,” said Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “One year later, thousands of families and small business owners are now suffering from a second disaster, which is the local permitting process that has prevented them from accessing these funds to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. While SBA borrowers can now bypass the massive permitting delays thanks to President Trump’s executive action, we have extended further federal support to help Mayor Bass clear months-long backlogs – and urged her to join this Administration’s effort to expedite rebuilding.”
In addition to permitting, other key topics discussed included President Trump’s push for LA residents to be able to build their homes 10% larger than pre-wildfire and Administration opposition to low-income housing zones in the Pacific Palisades that would devalue properties. They also spoke about other pressing matters facing Angelinos like insurance payments, and rental assistance for those having to pay for both a mortgage and rent as they await their homes to be rebuilt, among other topics.
Administrators Zeldin and Loeffler are now headed to lead a roundtable discussion with residents and small business owners whose property was destroyed in last year’s fires. Afterwards, they will tour a site in the Pacific Palisades that was ruined as well.
President Trump signed an executive order on January 23 directing the federal government to take all steps necessary to expedite permitting approvals for wildfire survivors who have been unable to rebuild due to widespread permitting backlogs in Los Angeles. Pursuant to the executive order, SBA issued a new rule that will allow SBA disaster borrowers to bypass certain state and local permitting requirements for rebuilding if the borrower has been unable to obtain requisite local approvals for 60 days or longer. Borrowers will be allowed to have their builders self-certify compliance with state and local regulations and immediately begin rebuilding.
The EPA response in Los Angeles was the agency’s largest wildfire cleanup in history. In just 28 days, 13,612 residential properties and 305 commercial properties were surveyed and greenlit for Phase 2 debris removal. This effort also included the removal and safe disposal of more than 1,000 lithium-ion batteries from vehicles, homes, and other battery powered products. Over 1,600 EPA employees across all ten regions were deployed to Los Angeles to assist in this response.
Many other federal agencies joined the response effort alongside EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Notably, the Small Business Administration (SBA) approved $3.2 billion in 12,600 disaster loans to Los Angeles residents, accounting for more than half of all SBA disaster assistance nationwide last year and making Los Angeles the largest recipient of SBA disaster relief in 2025. Yet despite this unprecedented federal response, less than 25% has been drawn down by borrowers due to enormous permitting backlogs that prevented survivors and their builders from beginning the rebuilding process.
In addition to the historic emergency response effort, President Trump has also taken bold action over the last year to ensure better water flow in California and improve forest management practices to prevent future wildfires.
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