Bill Maher has a question for California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ... why does it take a massive disaster for the state to cut red tape?!?

Bill joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about the heat Newsom and Bass are catching over the response to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and what it's going to take for L.A. to rebuild.

The 'Real Time' host says Newsom and Bass absolutely deserve to be held accountable for what Maher feel are a series of blunders that exacerbated the disaster ... and he says now is absolutely the time to have a conversation about their actions, or lack thereof.

Bill lives in L.A. and he's worried about what the rebuilding effort is going to look like ... because all the hoops folks have to jump through to build in this town really drag things out.

BM knows this all too well ... it took him a year to build a freaking shed in his backyard for solar panels.

Bass signed an executive order aimed at expediting the process to get the necessary permits to build ... which will hopefully speed up the rebuild ... but Bill says that's just proof there's no need for the red tape in the first place.

Bill scoffs at politicians acting like they're doing residents a favor by getting rid of extra steps ... telling us it's time for California to end the "red tape nightmare" once and for all.

You can see our full interview with Bill on Thursday's "TMZ Live." "Real Time with Bill Maher" season 23 starts Friday night.