Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill by Murrieta state Sen. Kelly Seyarto that will speed up rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires across California.

Senate Bill 904, which Newsom signed Sept. 29, creates a statewide framework to cut through local permitting delays and improve coordination between agencies after major wildfire disasters. The law builds on executive orders issued after the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires, which set a 30-day benchmark for issuing rebuilding permits. SB 904 extends those principles to every fire-affected community in the state.

Seyarto, a Republican representing the 32nd Senate District, spent 35 years in the fire service before entering elected office.

"When a wildfire destroys a home or an entire neighborhood, families should be able to focus on rebuilding their homes and their lives, not navigating unnecessary government bureaucracy," Seyarto said in a statement Monday, Oct. 12, according to Patch.

Under the new law, when the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) determines a wildfire has caused substantial structural damage, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) must work with state and local officials to identify and suspend permitting rules or building standards that delay reconstruction.

The bill also requires state and local agencies handling wildfire recovery to accept digital submissions for rebuilding applications and architectural plans starting in 2028.

Seyarto preserved the bill's broad scope despite late pushback from state housing officials who tried to narrow its reach, Patch reported.

SB 904 was one of 17 wildfire-related bills Newsom signed that day, according to the governor's office. The broader package builds on executive orders that have fast-tracked more than 500 wildfire prevention projects covering nearly 130,000 acres, the governor's office said.

The LA County fires illustrated the urgency. The January 2025 blazes destroyed an estimated 16,000 structures. As of January 2026, only 2,617 rebuilding permits had been issued out of 6,191 applications, and fewer than a dozen homes had been fully rebuilt, according to the governor's one-year recovery report and New York Post reporting. SB 904 aims to change that.

Seyarto's 32nd District includes Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake and parts of Riverside. Residents can contact his district office at 24640 Jefferson Ave., Suite 202, in Murrieta.