Spencer Pratt, star of The Hills and up to date wildfire sufferer, blasted California Democrats for SB 549 — a invoice letting LA County purchase fire-ravaged land on a budget and override native rebuilding.
Pratt referred to as out lawmakers for centralizing energy and breaking Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state wouldn’t drive low-income housing on destroyed heaps.
This transfer strips native communities of management and forces top-down “resilient” housing mandates — placing unelected bureaucrats in control of neighborhoods they failed to guard.
Critics say it’s a authorities land seize that punishes hearth victims and fast-tracks dense urbanization with out consent.
Pratt’s message: the identical officers who watched the Palisades burn down need to management what rises from the ashes.
California’s SB 549 Sparks Outrage Over Fire Zone Property Buyouts and Affordable Housing Mandates
Spencer Pratt, a actuality TV persona greatest recognized for The Hills, has unexpectedly emerged as a voice of native discontent in Los Angeles following the passage of California Senate Bill 549 (SB 549). The invoice, which cleared the California Senate this month, grants sweeping new authority to LA County to amass and redevelop properties destroyed by wildfires—prompting considerations amongst hearth victims, householders, and neighborhood activists about property rights, native management, and long-term neighborhood impacts.
SB 549 permits LA County to buy fire-damaged or destroyed heaps at minimal value and repurpose them for brand spanking new growth, with a authorized mandate that 40% of the rebuild should embrace inexpensive housing. Beginning in January 2026, the invoice additionally permits native governments to allocate a portion of future property tax revenues into particular infrastructure finance districts to help these tasks.
This transfer instantly contradicts earlier public assurances made by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had promised that householders displaced by wildfires wouldn’t see their properties forcibly transformed into government-backed inexpensive housing tasks. The backlash, now spreading on social media and amplified by native celebrities like Pratt, stems from what critics describe as a betrayal of belief and an erosion of property rights.
One of the invoice’s most controversial points is the creation of a “Resilient Rebuilding Authority” for LA County. This county-level entity would have decision-making energy over zoning and land use in catastrophe restoration zones, successfully overriding present metropolis authority and public enter processes. Critics argue this strips native communities of their say in how neighborhoods are rebuilt and paves the best way for high-density housing tasks that don’t replicate the character or wants of the unique communities.
In neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades, the place wildfire destruction has been devastating, the laws has ignited fears of everlasting displacement. SB 549 allows “land banking” by the county, providing authentic property house owners a so-called “first look” at repurchasing their land. However, affordability stays a key barrier. If the rebuilt properties are priced out of attain, former residents—particularly these with out insurance coverage or with partial protection—might lose their properties without end. Critics argue that the consequence may very well be compelled gentrification underneath the guise of resilience and affordability.
The invoice additionally loosens conventional zoning controls to advertise “resilient” tasks, corresponding to infill housing close to transit strains, typically bypassing the same old native assessment processes. While proponents argue that is mandatory to fulfill California’s long-term housing and local weather targets, residents warn of infrastructure pressure, visitors congestion, and neighborhood displacement as a result of densification and diminished public oversight.
Pratt, who reportedly misplaced his Pacific Palisades dwelling within the current fires, voiced his frustration in a public put up, alleging the identical state and native officers who failed to stop the fires at the moment are making an attempt to revenue from the aftermath. “The people that are in charge of this bill, they’re the people in charge of letting the whole town burn down,” he mentioned. His remarks underscore a broader sentiment rising amongst hearth victims: that the invoice could prioritize state housing aims over restoration justice for impacted communities.
Though the laws does embrace language about public transparency and housing alternative, opponents warn that the tempo and scope of the invoice’s implementation danger leaving weak households behind. Legal analysts have additionally famous that critics could pursue constitutional challenges, particularly round provisions that enable obligatory land acquisition and mandate low-income growth targets.
As the invoice awaits last approval and potential implementation frameworks, public conferences and neighborhood protests are anticipated to ramp up throughout LA County. The central theme rising from the backlash shouldn’t be opposition to inexpensive housing per se, however deep concern over the lack of native management, lack of consent in redevelopment selections, and fears of irreversible adjustments to wildfire-hit communities.
SB 549 could mark a turning level in California’s ongoing housing and local weather resilience efforts—nevertheless it has completed so by igniting a political firestorm amongst these nonetheless sifting by way of the ashes of their misplaced properties.