Landmark California environmental laws will be suspended to help wildfire victims rebuild their homes and businesses, under an executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday.

Under the order, for fire victims in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other communities, building permit and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Code, often considered by developers is onerous) will be relieved.

"California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I'm not going to give up on that," Newsom told Jacob Soboroff on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But the one thing I will not give in to is delay. Delay is denial for people: lives, traditions, places are torn apart, torn apart."

Dan Dunmoyer, president and CEO of the California Building and Construction Industry Association, said the governor’s action represents an early and strong statement about the future of these areas. Dunmoyer said Newsom made it clear the state would encourage homeowners to return to their communities and not deem development there too risky.

"He put up a marker that said we were going to rebuild these communities," Dunmoyer said.

He said exemptions from the Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Coastal Act could shave years off the timeline for Palisades homeowners, but building permits issued by local governments are another major hurdle.

“Those two flags are important,” Dunmoyer said of the state law, “but if locals don’t come forward to expedite the process, it could get into trouble.”

Newsom's order requires the state housing department to work with affected cities and counties to develop new permitting rules so that all approvals can be issued within 30 days.

After the fire, housing analysts renewed calls for the city of Los Angeles to speed up the process. A 2023 study found that the average completion time for multifamily housing in the city was five years, with much of that time tied to bureaucratic approvals.

Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged the problems and promised the city would speed up approvals.

"We will eliminate the red tape, unnecessary delays, costs and headaches that people experience so we can quickly rebuild your homes," Bass said at a news conference Thursday.

Bass reiterated that commitment at a news conference Sunday morning, praising the governor's action and saying she planned to release details of the effort this week. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Katherine Barger, who represents Altadena, similarly praised the governor's executive order.

"I want to thank the governor for hearing my plea and acting quickly to ensure our residents are not burdened with unnecessary requirements as they begin the recovery and rebuilding process," said Barger, a Republican.

However, many Republican members across the state said Newsom's order was too little, too late.

"Wildfire victims deserve more from Gavin Newsom. When his record includes lying and underfunding wildfire prevention efforts, he owes Angelenos an answer as to why he and local Democratic leaders are There was no preparation for these devastating wildfires,” said Jessica Millan Patterson, chairwoman of the California Republican Party. "No more blame games and excuses. We need accountability from this governor, and we need it now."

Environmentalists also point out that the governor's executive order reaffirms an existing provision in the Coastal Act that provides exemptions for fire reconstruction.

The California Coastal Commission, which coordinates enforcement of the Coastal Act with local officials, noted last week that state law already makes it clear that rebuilding homes, businesses and most other structures destroyed by disasters does not fall within the scope of typical coastal development. Permit - as long as the new building is on the same site and is no more than 10% larger or taller than the destroyed building.

After the Woolsey Fire devastated Malibu and surrounding areas in 2018, the council coordinated with city and county officials to help homeowners rebuild. Coastal officials also noted that the commission has processed hundreds of "disaster recovery exemptions" over the years in other coastal areas the commission directly oversees after other devastating natural disasters.

“When it’s time to rebuild, both the Coastal Act and the governor’s executive order provide the opportunity to quickly and easily replace lost structures,” Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the commission, said in a statement. A clear path. "Our hearts go out to all the residents of the Los Angeles area whose homes and communities have been devastated by these horrific fires."

President-elect Donald Trump and other conservatives have sharply criticized Newsom and other Democratic leaders in California for environmental policies they say laid the foundation for this month's historic destruction. Trump called Newsom "incompetent" and said he should resign, and made false statements about water diversions to protect small fish and FEMA policies.

"Fires are still raging in Los Angeles and incompetent police don't know how to put them out," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday night. “Thousands of magnificent homes are gone, and many more will soon be gone. Death is everywhere. This is one of the worst disasters in our country’s history. They just can’t put out the fire. What happened to them?

Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

Newsom said in an interview with NBC that he has asked the incoming president to witness the disaster firsthand, just as Barger did on Saturday.

"We want to do this in the spirit of an open hand, not a clenched fist. He's the president-elect," Newsom said. "I respect the office."

Newsom noted that many of the buildings that survived the fire were more likely to have been built to modern building codes, but said he was concerned about the time it would take to rebuild. As a result, his executive order eliminates some CEQA requirements, amends Coastal Act provisions, and ensures that property tax assessments for rebuilders will not increase.

CEQA was signed into law by then-Gov. In 1970, Ronald Reagan was at the height of the environmental movement. The Coastal Act was enacted in the wake of a landmark 1972 voter initiative and a dedicated, statewide effort to save the coast from uncontrolled development and destructive Oil spills, such as the 1969 disaster in Santa Barbara, were considered "environmental gunshots heard around the world." "

Both parties have faced challenges for decades, and for more than 40 years, governors from both parties have argued that CEQA needs reform. An executive order issued by Newsom during the pandemic temporarily suspended several of the bill's requirements. He decided it was time again.

Asked on a news show whether this month's wildfires were the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, Newsom noted that recent fires have caused a greater loss of life, but said: "I think it's just about the same. Fire-related cost aspects ” in terms of scale and scope. "

He called for a California version of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. effort to rebuild Western Europe after World War II.

"We already have a team looking at reimagining Los Angeles 2.0," he said, "and we're making sure that everyone is included, not just people on the coast, but people here who have been ravaged by this disaster."