California: Governor Newsom delivers on pledge to provide new financing options for Eaton and Palisades survivors

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Sep 17, 2026

Governor Newsom delivers on pledge to provide new financing options for Eaton and Palisades survivors

What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom today launched a new program to help disaster survivors — including those from the LA firestorms — access additional funding to help speed rebuilding.

SACRAMENTO – Just days after signing nation-leading smoke remediation bills and extending mortgage protections for survivors, Governor Gavin Newsom launched a new state program to help close the gap between insurance payouts and the cost of rebuilding. The program, first announced during the Governor's State of the State earlier this year, was developed in response to feedback from survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires. The $100 million program was funded as part of the state budget.

California will not leave survivors to navigate recovery alone. With the launch of this recovery fund, we're turbo-charging efforts to help families get back home and communities rebuild faster. I'm proud of the work we've done with the Legislature to make this fund possible, and I look forward to seeing its impact across California.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Disaster Rebuilding Assistance Program offers key financing tools to help reduce the cost of rebuilding, connect homeowners with trusted lenders, and improve loan options for low- to moderate-income households. The program offers interest rate buydowns, which use upfront assistance to reduce borrower interest costs, and loan-loss guarantees, which increase borrower access to funds by allowing lenders to lend more expansively with lower risk.

"For victims of wildfire and other natural disasters, the process of rebuilding their homes can be both daunting and expensive," said Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of the California Housing and Homelessness Agency. "California has stepped up to support victims of the Los Angeles wildfires by streamlining permitting to allow for faster rebuilding and providing much-needed mortgage relief. Through the Disaster Rebuilding Assistance Program, we are continuing to make key investments to help Californians with the financial assistance they need to rebuild and recover."

"Many families are still navigating the challenges and trauma that follow the loss of a home," said CalHFA Executive Director Tony Sertich. "The state is here to support their recovery and help them rebuild their homes and communities.

Homeowners interested in exploring eligibility and learning more should visit the program's webpage, and should meet with a participating construction lender to understand the steps they'll need to take.

Speeding recovery

This program was built from the state's collaborative efforts with survivors' groups and lending partners following the Los Angeles area firestorms. Today's announcement adds to the 28 executive orders issued by the Governor, as well as other state financial programs, including the CalAssist Mortgage Fund, which provides up to $100,000 of mortgage payments over a period of one year that do not have to be repaid. The CalAssist program has awarded $54 million in mortgage relief to 1,575 households as of Sept 14, 2026, and 76% of the funds went to homes in the Eaton Fire.

Today's announcement also builds on California's ongoing recovery efforts in Los Angeles, where the state has worked with survivors, local governments, and community partners to accelerate debris removal, permitting and rebuilding while providing mortgage relief and other assistance.

More time, more flexibility on mortgages

The fund launches days after the Governor signed bills to permanently extend mortgage forbearance protections for disaster-affected homeowners.  For survivors still paying a mortgage on a home they can't live in, Assembly Bills 1842 and 1847 (Harabedian) provide families a path away from foreclosure and help them keep their homes.

The legislation makes permanent the kind of mortgage forbearance protections the Governor secured directly from loan servicers after the LA fires — automatic protections and processes in law following a disaster to help borrowers avoid foreclosure. This landmark legislation also doubles the mortgage forbearance window available by law for LA fire survivors, from 12 months to 24 months, and requires servicers to offer borrowers the option to defer repayment of missed payments until the end of the loan, unless prohibited by investor contract terms or servicing guidelines.

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California continues to stand alongside survivors

These unprecedented new laws build on relief California has already delivered to help Los Angeles fire survivors stay in their homes and rebuild.
  • Crushing red tape with unprecedented action: Since the 2025 Los Angeles fires, California has worked to cut red tape, speed rebuilding, and support survivors through every stage of recovery. The Governor has issued 28 executive orders to expedite recovery, including streamlining or suspending barriers under the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act, accelerating debris removal and rebuilding, expanding temporary housing options, extending regulatory relief, protecting tenants, and strengthening safeguards against price gouging and predatory real estate speculation. While the state does not issue local building permits, the Governor's actions are directly enabling historic local results, including 8,450 permits issued by local building departments as of this week.
  • Investing directly in faster permitting: The state has moved aggressively to empower local governments by providing millions of dollars in direct grants to expand permitting staffing, modernize systems, and accelerate plan review and permitting. The state helped deploy Archistar, a cutting-edge AI-driven plan-check tool that allows homeowners to identify design and code issues before submitting applications — reducing costs, eliminating weeks or months of back-and-forth, and dramatically speeding approvals.
  • Relief for homeowners: Last year, Governor Newsom signed AB 238 to provide eligible homeowners with up to one year of mortgage forbearance, launched a state mortgage relief fund covering up to $100,000 per homeowner, and worked directly with lenders to extend forbearance windows. The state also funded pre-approved, low-cost home designs tailored to the architectural character of affected communities — allowing permits to be issued in a fraction of the time. As of March 2026, nearly 42,000 insurance claims have been filed, with more than 40,000 at least partially paid, totaling $23.7 billion, according to the California Department of Insurance.
  • Protecting communities from exploitation: Governor Newsom has enforced and strengthened price-gouging protections, cracked down on illegal and predatory land speculation, and expanded consumer protections to prevent families from being exploited.
  • Debris removal and community recovery: In partnership with the federal government, California helped deliver the fastest debris removal in state history, clearing the way for rebuilding at record speed. This work began under the Biden Administration. The state has provided assistance to schools, childcare providers, small businesses, and workers impacted by the fires.

Press releases (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/press-releases/), Recent news (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/recent-news/)

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