California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced an executive order centered around rebuilding in the wake of the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires on Sunday.
“I’m worried about issues of rebuilding as it relates to scarcity, as it relates to property taxes, meaning scarcity of resources, materials, personnel. I’m worried about time to getting these projects done,” Newsom said in an interview with NBC News’s Jacob Soboroff on “Meet the Press.”
Included in the executive order are actions halting environmental regulation in relation “to projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed as a result of this emergency” and targeting price gouging.
“California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I’m not gonna give that up. But one thing I won’t give into is delay. Delay is denial for people: lifes, traditions, places torn [apart,] torn asunder. Families, schools, community centers, churches, you’ve seen it,” Newsom said in his “Meet the Press” interview.
“The number of schools that have been lost in this community, and … we’ve gotta people know we have their back,” he added.
The Los Angeles area has been recently devastated by large wildfires that have destroyed property on a massive scale and left 16 people dead.