Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued an executive order to cut red tape and help streamline recovery efforts in communities impacted by the devastating wildfires that have burned across California over the past ten days.

The executive order includes provisions that suspend planning and zoning requirements and state fees for manufactured homes and mobilehome parks to help displaced residents with housing needs; streamline regulations to allow facilities regulated by the California Department of Social Services and the California Department of Public Health that were impacted by the fires to remain open; extend the state's prohibition on price gouging during emergencies; allow wineries to relocate their tasting rooms; allow for the expedited hiring of additional personnel for emergency and recovery operations; and strengthen coordination between state agencies on environmental restoration in fire impacted areas.

Last week, Governor Brown declared a state of emergency for the counties of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Orange due to the impacts of numerous wildfires. The Governor also secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support the state and local response to the fires, within 24 hours of making the request, and federal direct aid for residents of Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Yuba, Orange and Nevada counties who have suffered losses due to the fires. Workers in these counties who have lost jobs or had work hours substantially reduced as a result of the fires are also now eligible for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits.

Last week, Governor Brown traveled to areas impacted by the fires with U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris and joined the state's top emergency management officials for a briefing at the State Operations Center in Mather, and this week met with the FEMA administrator to discuss ongoing wildfire response and recovery efforts and visited firefighters and first responders in Orange County.