Assembly Members Harabedian and Irwin, responding to the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires, have put forward legislation to establish a specialized disaster housing task force coordinating reconstruction efforts across federal, state, and local agencies. The task force, jointly convened by the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services, would unite representatives from these departments alongside FEMA and local government officials to address housing restoration in affected communities.

The legislation mandates the appointment of a state disaster housing coordinator tasked with expediting resource delivery, including funding and technical assistance, to impacted areas. Beginning April 1, 2026, the task force must submit quarterly reports to the Legislature detailing the status of housing reconstruction efforts, with this reporting requirement continuing through April 1, 2030.

The bill's authors cite the unique circumstances of the Los Angeles and Ventura County wildfires as necessitating this targeted approach rather than relying on general statutes. Operating under urgency statute provisions, the legislation would take immediate effect upon passage, creating no new programs or appropriations but instead utilizing existing agency frameworks and resources to facilitate coordinated recovery efforts.