If we want to build a safer future for Los Angeles, we can’t keep repeating the mistakes of the past.

So I was disappointed to learn that shortly after the Palisades fire broke out, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a crucial clean energy requirement for new homes, in a misguided effort to help Angelenos build back — a mistake that could soon be repeated by state officials, paving the way for a continued cycle of more destructive blazes.

As part of a wide-ranging order to help people rebuild their burned homes, Bass suspended a city requirement that new construction be all-electric. Unless she changes course, many builders will default to gas furnaces and water heaters — instead of more efficient electric heat pumps that don’t use planet-warming fossil fuels.

The more fossil fuels people burn, the more likely it is that L.A. will keep suffering catastrophic fires.

Bass described her order as “the first step in clearing away red tape and bureaucracy” to expedite rebuilding. But there’s no reason to believe suspending the all-electric rule will make things faster — or substantially cheaper.

In fact, there’s strong evidence that all-electric homes can save families money.

If you’re shopping for a new heating system, an electric heat pump will run you a few thousand dollars more than a gas furnace (before accounting for government incentives, which can cover some or all of the difference). That’s according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a pro-electrification advocacy group.

When you’re building a new house, though, the California Energy Commission has found that going all-electric is often just as cheap as building the infrastructure for both gas and electric appliances. That’s because when you’re starting from scratch, you can save a lot of money by avoiding the cost of installing gas pipelines.

When the Energy Commission voted last year to update the statewide building code, it strongly incentivized heat pumps for space and water heating in new homes, starting in 2026. The agency estimated that the average newly built home would cost slightly more up front ($757). But it found that cost would be offset by $6,692 in long-term savings from lower utility bills, because heat pumps are more energy-efficient than gas appliances.

This stuff is a no-brainer, right? Especially with state and federal incentives, no one should build with gas.

Unfortunately, there’s a chance Gov. Gavin Newsom, an avowed clean energy champion, will follow Bass’ lead and throw out California’s cost-effective electric building rules — in the name of helping Angelenos rebuild.

Gov. Gavin Newsom walks up a section of the Great Wall of China in 2023, part of a tour of China during which he pushed for climate cooperation.

(Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)

In a Jan. 12 executive order, Newsom directed state officials to report back to him within 60 days on whether any provisions of the building code should be suspended for people building back from the Palisades, Eaton or other L.A. County wildfires, “in order to facilitate rapid, safe, and cost-effective rebuilding and recovery.”

Even worse, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas proposed legislation that would mandate “no new additions to state or local building standards, unless required to address health and safety risks or to add fire resistant technology.” AB 306 would block most building code updates until 2031 — meaning six excruciating years with no new energy efficiency rules or electrification standards. The prohibition would apply statewide, not just in burn zones.

That is a terrible idea, full stop. Lawmakers shouldn’t use the fires as an excuse to slow down on clean energy — not when scientists say humanity must slash emissions much faster to keep the climate crisis from getting worse, and not when the climate crisis is a significant reason we’re seeing these catastrophic fires in the first place.

I asked a spokesperson for Rivas, Nick Miller, what the Assembly speaker is thinking.

AB 306 “will provide certainty and reduce delays for Angelenos who urgently need to rebuild their homes, while preserving and protecting climate-smart building laws,” Miller said in an email. “Our goal is to put L.A. on a quick path to recovery and accelerate new housing in Southern California and across the state.”

It’s unclear whether Newsom will try to pause existing clean energy codes. A spokesperson declined to offer any insights, saying in an email that Newsom is “laser-focused on removing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles so that the communities impacted by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area can rebuild faster, safer, and stronger.”

In theory, that makes sense. Everyone wants to make life as easy as possible for wildfire victims.

But here’s the reality: Fossil-fueled appliances in homes and businesses spew more than 10% of California’s heat-trapping emissions. If California wants to lead the world on fighting climate change — more important now than ever with President Trump in the White House — state and local leaders need to do more, not less.

Climate advocates are alarmed by the apparent rush to rethink clean energy rules.

Ben Stapleton serves as executive director of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council California, which worked with families whose homes burned in the Thomas and Woolsey fires to help them rebuild more sustainable, fire-resilient houses. This month, the group is talking with Los Angeles officials about a program to educate families, architects and contractors about building back with electric appliances, rooftop solar and fire-resistant materials.

Stapleton said he was disappointed by Bass’ executive order, because there’s no reason building a house without gas should be slower. If anything, avoiding the need to lay gas pipes can make the process faster and cheaper.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, left, and her chief recovery officer, Steve Soboroff, arrive at a news conference at Palisades Recreation Center on Monday.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

When I asked Stapleton about Newsom’s executive order and Rivas’ bill, he was clearly frustrated.

“The message to people is that all-electric must cost more and take longer,” he said.

A few hours before we talked, Stapleton drove through Altadena, which was devastated by the Eaton fire. He lives nearby, in Pasadena. The flames stopped half a mile from his home. His family evacuated for nearly a week.

“I do think this is going to be a collective scar on the psyche of L.A.,” he said.

Healing that scar should involve embracing clean energy, not doubling down on the dirty fuels that scientists tell us are exacerbating California’s wildfire crisis — and causing more intense heat waves, storms and floods.

Lisa Hart, executive director of the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance, feels the same.

Hart lives in Silver Lake and started fielding calls from her parents as the Eaton fire grew, warning her to be ready to evacuate. Fortunately, she was able to stay put. She offered up her place to friends looking for shelter.

Hart said she understands that politicians “want to make things cheaper and faster and easier” for people whose houses burned down. She hopes they’ll learn that building without gas actually supports those goals.

There are also health benefits to getting fossil fuels out of household kitchens. Although gas stoves cost less than electric induction cooktops, they can release nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other potentially deadly pollutants.

“Going all-electric is safer and faster, and right for the climate,” Hart said.

State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, center, speaks during a legislative update outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Jan. 16.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

One complicating factor: Although state officials estimate that electric space and water heating adds just $757 to the upfront cost of a new home, the California Building Industry Assn. gave me a higher figure of $2,500.

That’s not a lot relative to the state’s astronomical home prices — and homeowners would probably still save plenty of money in the long run from lower utility bills. But Chris Ochoa, a senior counsel at the building industry group, pointed to an estimate that for every $1,000 increase in the price of a home, 7,905 households are priced out.

That said, Ochoa expects many households will continue to ditch gas by choice.

“We’ve got a bunch of our builders already building all-electric,” he said. “We can continue to do it.”

Most folks rebuilding in Pacific Palisades, one of L.A.’s wealthiest enclaves, should be able to afford any potential cost increase for heat pumps and induction stoves (even before accounting for incentives). For politicians looking to help lower-income Altadena residents build back without gas, additional financial support could go a long way.

This isn’t just a conversation about money, though. It’s also a conversation about values.

When I asked state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), who represents Pacific Palisades, about Bass’ order waiving the all-electric rule, he told me he suspected it had a lot to do with giving people “options and flexibility.”

“These people are just trying to get back on their feet after suffering an extraordinary disaster,” Allen said. “I am loath to want to be too micromanage-y of the homeowners who want to rebuild their homes.”

Most people don’t care how their homes are heated. But cooking is another story.

Bass may not want to tell Angelenos whose houses burned that they need to switch from gas stoves to induction cooktops — not a lifestyle downgrade, at least according to many chefs, but still a significant change.

Chef Bridget Bueche, one of a growing group of evangelists for induction cooking, demonstrates in the Snyder Diamond showroom in Van Nuys.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

If that’s what the mayor is thinking, she hasn’t said. In a written statement, spokesperson Zach Seidl told me that Bass “absolutely wants to rebuild the Palisades to be more resilient — and it will be.”

Allen, the state senator, wants to see demolished communities in his district build back with clean energy as a top priority — but ideally through rebates, tax incentives and other encouragement, not strict mandates.

As a possible model, he pointed to a bill signed by Newsom last year that makes it easier for utilities to transition whole neighborhoods from gas heating and cooking to electric appliances — specifically in areas where doing so can save utility ratepayers money by negating the need for expensive gas pipeline replacements.

“I don’t want to be too heavy-handed, given the delicacy of the situation,” Allen said.

That’s an admirable instinct — especially given Allen’s acknowledgment that California also needs to work harder on climate, not rest on its laurels. Representatives for several other politicians I contacted for this column pointed to the state’s existing accomplishments as if they were some kind of proof that it’s OK to take a breather.

Now is not the time to press pause. Unless emissions drop a lot faster, tragedy will keep coming.

The burden of confronting global warming can’t and shouldn’t fall on fire victims alone. But building new homes without gas hookups should be a relatively easy lift. Especially for California. Especially for Los Angeles.

Bass, Newsom, Rivas: Tread delicately during a tragic time. But please don’t take us backward.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here.

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