Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has indicated that he will lift some building restrictions for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires, as part of an effort to promote a Golden State version of the Marshall plan to rebuild “LA 2.0.”
The Marshall Plan was an effort led by the United States to rebuild Europe following World War II. Newsom has issued an executive order suspending state environmental laws and permitting requirements to help wildfire victims rebuild their homes and businesses.
AccuWeather reported that the damage so far is estimated to cost between $135 billion and $150 billion over ten years.
“I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this Order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of these fires and windstorm conditions,” Newsom wrote in a presidential decree.
He later appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and stated that “California leads the nation in environmental stewardship.” “I am not going to give that up.”
“But there is one thing I will not give in to: delay. Delay is denial for people: lives, traditions, and places are torn apart,” he added.
The building code suspension only affects buildings that are “substantially the same location” as they were prior to the fires. The order states that the height and footprint cannot exceed 110 percent of their original size.
NBC asked Newsom if his state would be prepared to host not only the soccer World Cup in 2026, but also the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics.
The governor argued for a Marshall Plan for California, stating, “We already have a team looking at reimagining LA 2.0.”
“We are making sure everyone’s included, not just the folks on the coast, people here that were ravaged by this disaster,” according to him.
The Marshall Plan, named after then-Secretary of State George Marshall, was part of President Harry Truman’s Economic Recovery Act of 1948, which invested more than $13 billion in rebuilding Western Europe’s economies. It also brought investments to the war-torn continent and boosted the American economy by creating a market for its products.
Newsom told NBC he was discussing the recovery with city, civic, business, nonprofit, and labor leaders.
“We have got to be thinking three weeks, three months, three years ahead; at the same time, we’re focusing on the immediacy, which is life safety and property,” Newsom told CBS.
Newsom’s comments sparked outrage on social media, with several users sharing nearly identical messages, writing that his remarks “should send chills down the spine of every citizen of Los Angeles.” @GavinNewsom views the fires as an opportunity to accelerate his ‘Marshall Plan.'”
“This means no single-family zoning, public transit for ALL, and an equity/climate/DEI agenda,” a user named Matt Baker explained.
“We don’t need a new LA; we need new leaders. LA isn’t perfect, but it’s just fine. NEWSOM is to blame for many of our problems. He is the last person to fix them. And, unlike COVID, he is not using the loss of much of Los Angeles as an opportunity to create a ‘new normal,'” he stated. “This scumbag has to go.”
“You were not elected to reimagine anything. You were elected to ensure our safety (failed), responsibly manage our taxes (failed), and educate children (failed). Another user, Houman David Hemmati, sent a tweet. “Your term has ended, either by resignation or recall. Either way, pack your bags.”
“He’s trying to turn Pacific Palisades into a communist dump. Terrible,” a third person added.
“Hey, he’s so good at this ‘equality’ thing, all the homeless will soon become millionaires. He has thrown enough money at the problem. The fires represent Homelessness 2.0!” Alexandra Datig said.
Several users also mentioned the “15-minute city,” which is an urban planning concept that states that most daily necessities must be accessible within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transportation journey.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a conspiracy theory has emerged, beginning with the idea that restricting car use is equivalent to government overreach and an attack on individual freedom.
The conspiracy theory spreads from there, with claims that limiting car use and making it easier to walk or bike is putting cities on track to become government-run open-air prisons.
“The idea that neighborhoods should be walkable is wonderful. “The idea that idiot tyrannical bureaucrats can decide by fiat where you’re ‘allowed’ to drive is perhaps the worst imaginable perversion of that idea—and, make no mistake, it’s part of a well-documented plan,” Canadian psychologist and controversial public figure Jordan Peterson wrote on X.
The World Economic Forum has also promoted the idea of a 15-minute city, leading to claims that it is part of a global plan.
“The lies range from small lies — like ‘they’re going to not want you to drive [at all]’ — to big lies — literally using terms like ‘they want to turn your neighborhood into a concentration camp’ that ‘your life is going to be like the Hunger Games, where there [are] different sectors that you’ll be representing’,” Brent Toderian, former chief planner of Vancouver, disclosed to ABC.
