With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
How will Mayor Bass' executive order help LA preschools and daycares reopen?
LA Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
(
Makenna Sievertson
/
LAist
)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday aimed at speeding up the recovery of childcare centers and schools after the L.A. fires.
The order creates a "streamlined path" for centers that need to relocate by giving the city's Department of Building and Safety permission to grant temporary 180-day permits for childcare and schools, regardless of zoning.
The mayor also directed Los Angeles City Planning officials to create a faster review process for authorizing childcare and school sites for longer-term temporary use.
How bad is the situation?
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said that at least 14 schools in L.A. were affected by the fires, five of them preschools. The Eaton Fire primarily affected Altadena in unincorporated L.A. County and Pasadena, which is its own city.
Sponsored message
-
Childcare providers say they know that their work is critical to allowing families to find new housing or return to work. But they're also trying to figure out how they themselves will recover, or stay afloat at all. -
Almost two months after the L.A. fires, some childcare providers who lost their homes and businesses say they're not able to access the aid they've been told to apply for. -
Felisa Wright lost her home and her livelihood in the Eaton Fire. She didn't stop fighting to return.
In total, 280 childcare facilities remain closed due to fire damage, according to numbers released last week by the California Department of Social Services. It’s not yet clear how many centers will benefit from the mayor’s order.
A spokesperson for L.A. County Department of Public Health said the order, combined with emergency licenses for childcare providers from the state Department of Social Services, should speed up the process to open new childcare spaces in Los Angeles.
Bass' order allows some schools and childcare centers that were not directly affected by the fires to apply for a temporary authorization to increase enrollment and serve children who were displaced.
The directive follows an earlier executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom that eased restrictions around temporary facilities for schools and suspended some class size restrictions for impacted schools in L.A. County.
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
_
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
