{"id":713461,"date":"2026-02-25T07:40:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T04:40:33","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T04:40:33","slug":"the-la-councilmember-trying-to-stop-developers-exploiting-wildfire-hotspots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-la-councilmember-trying-to-stop-developers-exploiting-wildfire-hotspots\/","title":{"rendered":"The LA councilmember trying to stop developers exploiting wildfire hotspots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3be71e4bcea\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3be71e4bcea\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-la-councilmember-trying-to-stop-developers-exploiting-wildfire-hotspots\/#%E2%80%9CThe_LA_councilmember_trying_to_stop_developers_exploiting_wildfire_hotspots%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;The LA councilmember trying to stop developers exploiting wildfire hotspots&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-la-councilmember-trying-to-stop-developers-exploiting-wildfire-hotspots\/#Download_The_California_Post_App_follow_us_on_social_and_subscribe_to_our_newsletters\" >Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CThe_LA_councilmember_trying_to_stop_developers_exploiting_wildfire_hotspots%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;The LA councilmember trying to stop developers exploiting wildfire hotspots&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F02%2Fcrop-38595553.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>California developers are using a hidden loophole to build hundreds of homes on land at high risk of wildfires, locals have warned.<\/p>\n<p>Builders are bypassing thorough safety checks by fast-tracking affordable housing projects on commercially-zoned land in Los Angeles, councilmember Bob Blumenfield told the Post.<\/p>\n<p>He highlighted plans to bulldoze part of Woodland Hills Country Club and turn its former golf course into 398 apartments this year.<\/p>\n<p>The land is next to the Santa Monica Mountains, near where the horrifying Palisades Fire destroyed neighborhoods and left 12 people dead.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><figcaption>California developers are using a hidden loophole to build hundreds of homes on land at high risk of wildfires. <span class=\"credit\">Shelley Sykes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the committee and authored the motion, is leading the charge to block the state-backed housing project. <span class=\"credit\">Bob Blumenfield<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Blumenfield said: \u201cThe Woodland Hills Country Club is located close to where the Palisades fire burned and in a \u2018Very High Fire Severity Zone,\u2019 where some of the streets are only a few feet wide.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that newly enacted state laws <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear to have s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>ped most, if not all, of the community\u2019s safeguards is just absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the center of the battle is the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sfplanning.org\/resource\/affordable-housing-and-high-roads-job-act-supplemental-ab-2011\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act (AB 2011)<\/a>, a powerful state law designed to force cities to fast-track affordable housing on commercially zoned land near jobs and major corridors.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Download_The_California_Post_App_follow_us_on_social_and_subscribe_to_our_newsletters\"><\/span><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a><\/strong>: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: Sign up here!<br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here!<\/a><br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\">Sign up here!<\/a><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/><\/a><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lawmakers pitched it as a way to convert failing strip malls, vacant big-box stores and aging commercial corridors into housing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Open green space that city leaders say should not be replaced with dense housing in a high fire severity zone. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/WoodlandHillsCountryClub<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Projects that qualify can bypass years of hearings, environmental challenges, and local political fights.<\/p>\n<p>But Blumenfield argues developers are exploiting loopholes in the law to push dense projects into places it was never intended to reach \u2014 including the Woodland Hills golf course in a high-risk fire zone.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cIt remains absurd that this level of development can be allowed by-right in a high fire severity zone with no review and zero input from the community or local government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Residents from the neighborhood pleaded with officials to stop what they described as reckless, top-down development.<\/p>\n<p>Maureen Hessey told the committee: \u201cI\u2019ve lived in the Gerard Tract for more than thirty years, through a major earthquake and two major fires.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not against development \u2014 but our area simply does not have the infrastructure for this kind of high-density housing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The sprawling fairways at the center of a growing clash between Sacramento housing mandates and local opposition. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/WoodlandHillsCountryClub<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another longtime resident, whose family has lived there for 45 years, warned evacuation during a major wildfire could turn deadly.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cOur house was built in the twenties, when the Gerard Tract was a resort community of tiny cabins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe roads are exactly as they were then \u2014 narrow, winding, many dead ends, with only one or two ways off the hillside.\u201d One escape route, she added, feeds directly into dense brush \u2014 a trap if flames ignite.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cI can\u2019t imagine eight hundred additional cars on those roadways in an emergency. During the Palisades fire it was already crowded, even though many neighbors didn\u2019t evacuate. Think about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A historic Los Angeles golf course targeted for a state-backed affordable housing development despite wildfire risk concerns. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/WoodlandHillsCountryClub<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Locals filed a motion to reclaim control over the site and it cleared the City Council\u2019s Planning and Land Use Management Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>It asks the city to formally designate the golf course property as \u201cvacant.\u201d Under state law, projects on vacant land in extreme fire zones are not eligible for automatic approval.<\/p>\n<p>If the designation holds, the development would be forced into the standard approval process \u2014 including environmental review and public hearings \u2014 instead of moving forward by right.<\/p>\n<p>Blumenfield said: \u201cMaking sure that the golf course is legally recognized as the vacant land that it actually is may be a critical lynchpin in ensuring that it gets proper review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>City planners have already paused the developer\u2019s application, citing missing documents, but officials say that reprieve is likely temporary.<\/p>\n<p>Once the paperwork is corrected, the proposal could surge back \u2014 and under current state law, potentially move forward with minimal local oversight.<\/p>\n<p>The fight now heads to the full City Council for a vote. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" >News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/24\/us-news\/the-la-councilmember-trying-to-stop-developers-exploiting-wildfire-hotspots\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The LA councilmember trying to stop developers exploiting wildfire hotspots&#8221; California developers are using a hidden loophole to build hundreds of homes on land at high risk of wildfires, locals have warned. Builders are bypassing thorough safety checks by fast-tracking affordable housing projects on commercially-zoned land in Los Angeles, councilmember Bob Blumenfield told the Post&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-713461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713461\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}