Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger today applauded Governor Gavin Newsom for signing SB 782 into law, a new measure that gives local governments stronger tools to rebuild and invest in resilience after disasters.
This law will directly benefit communities impacted by wildfires, including those affected by the devastating Eaton Fire, by speeding up recovery efforts and enabling local governments to act quickly and strategically after a disaster. The following is a statement from Supervisor Kathryn Barger:
“Today marks a pivotal moment for communities across California still healing from wildfires and other disasters. With Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 782, that I was proud to sponsor, we now have a mechanism to rebuild with resilience, restore critical infrastructure, and revitalize neighborhoods hurt by catastrophe.
I am also deeply grateful to Senator Sasha Renée Pérez for championing SB 782 and for working hand in hand with local officials to make sure this law responds to real community needs. I will continue working with our County teams, planners, fire safety officials, and community leaders in and around the Eaton area to move quickly and responsibly to establish a disaster recovery financing district to uplift survivors and rebuild stronger.”
For Eaton Fire survivors, this new law represents a turning point. It provides a way to rebuild homes, businesses, and community infrastructure more quickly and with greater flexibility. It also supports fire-hardened construction, defensible space, and infrastructure upgrades to better protect neighborhoods from future disasters. And because the funding will stay in the community, it creates a path toward long-term stability and economic renewal rather than temporary fixes.”
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Background on SB 782
Under SB 782, cities and counties will be able to create what are known as “disaster recovery financing districts.” These districts operate much like existing infrastructure financing districts but are designed specifically to support communities recovering from disaster. They allow local governments to raise and reinvest revenue directly into impacted neighborhoods, accelerating recovery without the long delays that can come with other state funding sources.
The law also streamlines some of the procedural steps that often slow down disaster recovery projects, making it easier for local governments to form these districts and start work quickly. By allowing local agencies to share incremental tax revenue more easily and fast-tracking key planning steps, rebuilding projects can move forward faster and more efficiently. The funds generated through these districts must be spent within the disaster-affected area. That means they will go toward repairing and replacing damaged housing and infrastructure, hardening buildings and landscapes against future fire risk, supporting economic recovery, and investing in resilience upgrades to better protect communities in the future.
Another key feature of SB 782 is its emphasis on local voices. The governing board of each district must include residents, business owners, or property owners from within the impacted area. This ensures that those most affected by the disaster will have a direct say in how recovery dollars are prioritized and spent. Because the legislation is an urgency measure, it takes effect immediately, allowing communities like those impacted by the Eaton Fire to begin planning and acting without delay.