{"id":383578,"date":"2026-07-02T13:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383578\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T13:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:39:13","slug":"new-fights-over-laws-meant-to-help-l-a-fire-victims-rebuild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383578\/","title":{"rendered":"New fights over laws meant to help L.A. fire victims rebuild"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BurnedThe remains of a house in Altadena, which burned in the Eaton Fire, on Jan. 26, 2025. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters<\/p>\n

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is celebrating the Fourth of July and will return to your inboxes Monday.<\/p>\n

A year and a half after deadly wildfires ripped through Southern California, state lawmakers are asking what kind of regulations they should impose to support people who want to rebuild.<\/p>\n

One method is meant to empower regulators to block developers from gobbling up properties after a natural disaster. That tactic is playing out through a bill that would give more power to the California Coastal Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It would require any new owner, including developers, of wildfire-destroyed homes to get approval from the commission to build. People who keep their properties after a disaster would still be exempt from commission oversight.<\/p>\n

But critics, including San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener, argue it would be unfair to impose stricter regulations specifically on new owners.<\/p>\n

Wiener: \u201cIt could set a troubling precedent that we\u2019re more focused on only empowering the original owner to build. \u2026 that\u2019s why I felt the need to vote \u2018no.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Another approach goes the other direction by lifting new housing density regulations<\/a> that Los Angeles-area fire victims say allow developers to take advantage of post-disaster situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposal would pause two state laws that make it easier for developers to build small houses on land reserved for single-family homes, and split land into smaller parcels.<\/p>\n

The bill would exempt Altadena \u2014 where the Eaton Fire destroyed over 9,000 structures \u2014 from the density rules through 2030. Though critics have raised concerns that the bill could make it harder for some fire survivors to rebuild, Nic Arnzen, the chairperson of Altadena\u2019s town council and a supporter of the bill, says the bill doesn\u2019t reflect NIMBYism.<\/p>\n

Arnzen: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s unreasonable for us to say, \u2018We\u2019re still in a state of emergency. Let us recover.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about the coastal commission<\/a> and Altadena<\/a> bills from CalMatters\u2019 Nadia Lathan and Ben Christopher, respectively.<\/p>\n

Your favorite state, in photos: CalMatters has teamed up with CatchLight on \u201cCalifornia in Pictures,\u201d a monthly newsletter that highlights compelling photojournalism from across the state. See the latest edition here<\/a> and sign up<\/a> to receive the next one.<\/p>\n

Other Stories You Should Know<\/p>\n

Reassurance for transgender veterans<\/p>\n

\"AU.S. Navy sailor Chase Humes, a transgender man, at Liberty Station in San Diego on June 22, 2026. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

Transgender military service members are facing uncertainty following President Donald Trump\u2019s order banning them from serving in the armed forces, and some California lawmakers want to reassure them that they can get assistance here<\/a>, reports CalMatters\u2019 Kate Wolffe.<\/p>\n

The Trump policy left transgender troops with a choice: Either separate and receive an honorable discharge \u2014 which would preserve access to veteran benefits like healthcare \u2014\u00a0or say nothing and risk a less favorable discharge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A state Senate committee last week advanced a bill that supporters say could help people who are given unfavorable discharges from losing their benefits. It would also require the state\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs to create a grant program to help veterans with housing.<\/p>\n

But how many people the proposal would help remains unclear, and proponents are unaware of any cases of people given less-than-honorable discharges for hiding their transgender identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Record-low homicide rate<\/p>\n

\"YellowA police barricade blocks the street in Sacramento on July 4, 2022. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo<\/p>\n

California reported a record-low homicide rate last year<\/a>, part of a nationwide trend that reversed the spike in crime many communities experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes CalMatters\u2019 Nigel Duara.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the main takeaway from the annual crime report Attorney General Rob Bonta released on Wednesday. He and Gov. Gavin Newsom said the trend reflected in part their policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Newsom: \u201cThese results show that when we invest in our communities, support law enforcement, crack down on organized crime, and expand prevention and intervention efforts, we can save lives and improve public safety,\u201d<\/p>\n

But it is a nationwide trend across red and blue states that experts are trying to understand. Magnus Lofstrom of the Public Policy Institute of California was struck by a dramatic increase in arrests after homicides, pushing the so-called clearance rate up to 79%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lofstrom: \u201cThis is very encouraging, but it will be important to unpack the notable jump to determine what efforts led to the striking improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And lastly: Boosting diversity in STEM<\/p>\n

\"ATr\u00e9 Willingham, a doctorate student, works inside a lab in Rowland Hall at UC Irvine on June 15, 2026. Photos by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters<\/p>\n

Founded in 2015 in partnership with the University of California, the Cal-Bridge program aims to close the diversity gap in science by helping California State University undergraduates pursue a doctorate in STEM. Because completing a doctorate takes several years, only 15 Cal-Bridge participants have earned their Ph.Ds so far. But its founder expects to see as many as 50 a year receive their doctorates. Read more<\/a> from Brittany Oceguera of CalMatters\u2019 College Journalism Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California Voices<\/p>\n

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Public employee unions are trying to loosen limits on their pensions enacted under former Gov. Jerry Brown, which they say have saved money but outlived their usefulness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As concerns grow over the fire risks that fireworks pose, Napa\u2019s Fourth of July drone show offers a safer and greener alternative, writes Breyana Brandt and Liz Habkirk<\/a>, the director of Napa\u2019s Parks and Recreation Department and Napa\u2019s assistant city manager, respectively.<\/p>\n

Other things worth your time:<\/p>\n

Some stories may require a subscription to read.<\/p>\n

The SF church that holds America\u2019s secrets \/\/ Esquire<\/a><\/p>\n

CA state workers protest for telework, higher wages as return-to-office mandate begins \/\/ Abridged<\/a><\/p>\n

These 8 new CA laws are going into effect on July 1 \/\/ The Orange County Register<\/a><\/p>\n

Newsom signs off on 100% CA tax for money from Trump\u2019s $1.8B \u2018slush fund\u2019 \/\/ Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/p>\n

In SF, even $180K tech salaries are no longer enough \/\/ The New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n

Gas companies use AI to raise prices, lawsuit says \/\/ Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/p>\n

They built the world\u2019s most powerful AI. They\u2019re facing a mystery they can\u2019t explain \/\/ The Washington Post<\/a><\/p>\n

Is a UC degree still worth it? New report shows payoff takes longer \/\/ San Francisco Chronicle<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLynn La is the newsletter writer for CalMatters, focusing on California\u2019s top political, policy and Capitol stories every weekday. She produces and curates WhatMatters, CalMatters\u2019 flagship daily newsletter…\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Lynn La\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The remains of a house in Altadena, which burned in the Eaton Fire, on Jan. 26, 2025. Photo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-383578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}