Permits Still Tough To Come By For Fire Victims Looking To Rebuild In LA County

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, January 12, 2026

• It’s been a year since the wildfires in Los Angeles County destroyed homes and communities. In order to start rebuilding their homes, everyone needs permits. A rebuild permit from the city or county determines whether a family is still in limbo waiting to start construction or is already framing up a new house. 
• California Attorney General Rob Bonta says he will not be running for governor this year, ending months of speculation around one of the state’s top Democrats.

Construction Site vs. Empty Lot: It All Depends On A Permit

In April, all that remained of Sue Kohl’s Pacific Palisades home was a dirt lot and her children’s handprints stamped into the sidewalk out front. Eight months later, her property was a busy construction site. “Every time I come up here I get excited,” says Kohl, whose new two-story home already has exterior walls.

The far more typical experience with permitting involves a longer wait.

In May, Denise and Adonis Jones applied for LA County permits to rebuild their Altadena home. Seven months later, they were still waiting. Adonis Jones, a former high school football coach, likens the anticipation to “hanging on the tip of a diving board” preparing to dive into a pool. Eventually he got tired of the metaphorical bouncing. “So we just sat down at the tip of [the diving board] and just looked at the water,” he says.

Everyone trying to rebuild after the fires needs a permit to start construction – and having one can determine whether a family is still in limbo waiting, or framing up a new house. After a slow start, data from Los Angeles City and County show that about 12% of properties destroyed in the Palisades have permits to rebuild, as do about 16% of properties in Altadena.

To help alleviate delays, both bureaucracies introduced AI software this summer. They’re also fast-tracking applications for anyone who wants to either rebuild a similar fire-safe version of what they lost or install a pre-designed house.  As of mid-December, over 2,000 people are still waiting for permit applications, according to data from Los Angeles City and County, and there remains a great deal of uncertainty about who will ultimately live in these neighborhoods.

Attorney General Rob Bonta Announces He Won’t Run for Governor

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that he will not run for governor late Sunday, saying he does not want to walk away from his current role defending California and will instead seek reelection as attorney general.

Bonta’s potential entrance into the race has been anticipated for months, but in an interview with Politico and subsequent statement, Bonta said the state needs a “battle-tested” top prosecutor to defend against attacks from the Trump administration. Bonta’s office has sued the federal government more than 50 times in the past year. “Watching this dystopian horror come to life has reaffirmed something I feel in every fiber of my being: In this moment, my place is here — shielding Californians from the most brazen attacks on our rights and our families,” he said.

The current field of candidates running for governor includes a number of Democrats. Among them: former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter; East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer. Polls in the second half of 2025 showed the race wide open, with large numbers of voters undecided and support among Republicans split between two GOP candidates: businessman Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.