The Los Angeles area continues to burn on this Sunday, and at least 16 people are now reported dead from the tragic wildfires. More dangerously, high Santa Ana winds are predicted to return this week.

Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass, and other officials have faced intense criticism for their planning, overall mismanagement, and poor leadership. On Sunday, Newsom announced an executive order that he says will help the destroyed areas recover.

“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.

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Newsom posted about the plan on social media:

California is notorious for its red tape and onerous regulations, so he’s got his work cut out for him in streamlining the process. Another question he will have to deal with: will insurers balk at covering rebuilt residences in dangerous areas?

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Newsom, though, thinks the Golden State can get it done:

“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: lives, 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 [let] people know we have their back,” he added.

I can’t help but notice the irony in Newsom’s claim that “California leads the nation in environmental stewardship.” As of this moment, the Golden State is spewing an untold (but massive) amount of particulate matter into the air, so much so that many residents are reporting difficulty breathing, and the smoke can even be seen from space.

Since many critics put at least some of the blame for the massive spread of the wildfires on the failure to clear brush and ensure working hydrants, maintain reservoirs, and ensure an adequate water supply, it hardly seems the time to be crowing about “environmental stewardship.”

I am a frequent critic of Gov. Newsom, but as someone who lives here and knows many friends who have lost their houses, I am hopeful that he can deliver on his promises. That being said, the situation is beyond daunting, and rebuilding will take years. It’s unclear whether things in Altadena and the Pacifici Palisades—the two areas hardest hit—can ever return to normal.