California politicians are rushing to make it easier for residents to rebuild their homes incinerated in the Los Angeles firestorms. That means waiving green construction mandates designed to combat climate change — which is driving such conflagrations by making conditions hotter and drier

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-01-17/california-fast-tracks-rebuilding-of-la-homes-despite-fire-danger?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTczNzEzMjcyOSwiZXhwIjoxNzM3NzM3NTI5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTUThIR0tUMEcxS1cwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyMjc1RTYyODc5NjY0NjIyOUExMkRCMjU1OEYzNjQ2QiJ9.BWCeXVHxE8XjEMOqi2UHuwF593IXIHSosYGOykEFZMI

by silence7

11 comments

  1. I take comfort knowing that these construction sites with their bulldozers and jackhammers and cement trucks won’t be using any gas-powered leaf blowers

  2. Well that sounds like something that will resolve itself in a few years, just maybe not in the way the housebuilders are hoping

  4. They would be silly to rebuild except to higher building standards unless they were out to make a profit off of it!

  5. As far as I can tell the only negative is the waiver on electrification, which honestly does really suck. Not forcing solar panels at this time seems reasonable.

    But here’s a positive:

    >Fire hardening won’t be optional

    >Replacement dwellings in both Pacific Palisades and Altadena also must comply with state building codes that govern new construction in what California designates as “very high fire hazard severity zones.” Those regulations mandate that houses be clad in fire-resistant materials, window glass be tempered and screens be installed over vents to prevent wind-blown embers from entering the home. Decks, fences and stairs must also be fire-resistant.

    Almost none of these homes had fire hardening materials that were mandated in new home constructions after 2008, and now every single replacement home will.

  6. I’ve heard people asking where they can donate to help. Ha ha. I’m donating to groups that help immigrants.

  8. Have any of you tried to have your windows replaced with the green option? It’s nuts how much it costs.
    Everything is so expensive. If you keep the new mandates, people won’t be able to rebuild their homes.

  11. Those homeowners pay a ton of property and income taxes, a disproportionate share of LA county. LA and the state can’t afford an exodus, and most don’t have fire insurance.

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