California State Senator Ben Allen (D–Santa Monica) has officially put Senate Bill 549 on hold for the remainder of 2025, halting efforts to advance the legislation designed to aid wildfire recovery after a an online misinformation campaign and compliant media sullied the legislation.
SB 549, initially introduced by Allen on February 20, 2025, sought to amend existing local government financing and would have established a Resilient Rebuilding Authority in Los Angeles County to expedite rebuilding processes in communities devastated by the January 2025 wildfires—especially in places like Pacific Palisades—by coordinating permitting, infrastructure restoration, land acquisition, and housing redevelopment.
There were some good faith concerns about the bill. Some opponents worried it threatened local autonomy and could override traditional planning and zoning processes. Others pointed out that despite the need to rebuild following the fires earlier this year, there’s no need to rush this process at the expense of getting at least local political leaders on board.
Locally elected officials—including Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath who come from different ends of the political spectrum—have echoed residents’ concerns. Park cautioned that the authority lacked adequate community representation, while Horvath noted the legislation was being advanced without sufficient vetting from affected neighborhoods
Somehow these concerns turned into “Allen wants the county to buy wildfire land to build affordable housing over the objections of the cmmunity” on social media and eventually actual media.
While many progressive readers of Next might think of building more affordable housing in the Palisades as “threatening them with a good time,” it is not what the legislation would actually have done. But that didn’t stop conservative leaning news outlets that dabble in misinformation including National News Desk, Daily Wire, Circling The News, and Los Angeles. Magazine from uncritically reporting the affordable housing claim as fact. The idea that some nefarious California boogey man was out to steal people’s land to house people of lesser income was just too good to pass up. Eventually, Snopes even weighed in to try and put out the misinformation blaze, but it was too late.
During an Assembly committee hearing last Wednesday, Allen acknowledged the growing unease and concern over the legislation, both the rushed process and the misifornation. In a statement (full statement at the bottom of post) following the hearing, Allen pledged a process that brings in community leaders should the legislation move again:
“When we first introduced SB 549, we knew that it would be difficult to pull together a framework that would be both effective and gain widespread support within the tight timelines of this year’s legislative calendar.”
He went on to say he appreciated the feedback and emphasized the need to ground the bill in community perspectives:
“For me to feel comfortable proceeding, the bill will have to be deeply grounded in community input, empowerment, and decision‑making, including the support of the impacted Councilmembers,” Allen added.
While halting the bill, Allen emphasized that the pause is intended to buy time to refine the proposal with greater input. The Senator plans a series of town halls, including Zoom and in-person sessions, to engage fire survivors and local leaders. Notably, he told organizers he didn’t “want to jam anything down anyone’s throats. If folks don’t want this, we don’t have to pursue it.”
Supporters of SB 549 highlight its potential benefits—streamlined permitting, coordinated infrastructure cleanup, stronger insurance resilience, and land programs to help burned-out homeowners return. Its passage through the Senate—with unanimous support in some committees—suggests political momentum that could see the legislation move next year when people better understand that there is no plan to build more affordable housing in the Palisades.
Allen’s full statement:
“When we first introduced SB 549, we knew that it would be difficult to pull together a framework that would be both effective and gain widespread support within the tight timelines of this year’s legislative calendar. I appreciate the input of the folks who have weighed in about the bill, and along with legislative colleagues have decided that it would be best for us to pause the bill until next year to give us more time to see if we can get it right. For me to feel comfortable proceeding, the bill will have to be deeply grounded in community input, empowerment, and decision-making, including the support of the impacted Councilmembers. I am also committed that any formed rebuilding entity that I’m involved with will have the flexibility needed to help rebuild impacted communities in a way that reflects the unique character and history of each neighborhood. Needless to say, I look forward to robust conversations with the community and City leadership.”
