California Executive Order N-12-25 — Disaster Tourism

Cal. Exec. Order No. N-12-25

California Governor Orders

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE OF CALIFORNIA EXECUTIVE ORDER N-12-25

WHEREAS on January 7, 2025, I proclaimed a State of Emergency to exist in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties due to fire and windstorm conditions that have now caused multiple fires, including the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, Sunset, and Woodley Fires; and

WHEREAS since the fires began, I have issued severa l Executive Orders to bolster the emergency response to the rapid spread of these fires throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and to expedite recovery efforts in the impacted communities; and

WHEREAS these fires have devastated communities across the Greater Los Angeles Area and have collectively burned over 40,600 acres, destroying or damaging more than 14,300 structures, including homes, small businesses, and places of worship, with initial estimates placing this disaster among the most destructive in California history; and

WHEREAS these fires have destroyed entire neighborhoods and communities, leaving residents and other impacted individuals traumatized and uncertain about the status of their homes, property, businesses, places of worship, and other community locales; and

WHEREAS local authorities have begun to partially lift mandatory evacuation orders to allow residents to return to affected areas, and I am informed that they intend to completely lift those evacuation orders in the near future; and

WHEREAS it is important for public safety, protection of private property, and avoidance of impeding ongoing recovery efforts, including clearance of potentially toxic debris, that individuals who do not have a legitimate reason to enter areas previously subject to evacuation orders do not do so.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, Government Code sections and 8627, do hereby issue the following Order to become effective immediately. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: The California Highway Patrol, in consultation with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, shall engage local law enforcement agencies to develop a plan for enforcing, and support them in enforcing, relevant state laws, including, but not limited to, Penal Code

section 602 (prohibiting trespassing) and Penal Code

section 647(h) (prohibiting loitering with intent to commit crimes of opportunity), and

Chapter of Division of the Vehicle Code, as well as relevant local laws and ordinances, in areas previously subject to mandatory evacuation orders, in order to protect private property and minimize the impacts on ongoing recovery efforts that may be caused by entry of large numbers of individuals who do not reside in these neighborhoods. I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this Order.

This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive, or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 19th day of January 2025. GAVIN NEWSOM Governor of California ATTEST:

Document details

Collection	California Governor Orders
Citation	Cal. Exec. Order No. N-12-25
Type	executive_order
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	CA_EO
Identifier	3afa5adc0eaf7c3e364e157456b7c718a56a1414

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).