As forecasters sound the alarm about another potentially wet California winter fueled by El Niño, Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking urgent but controversial measures to prevent a repeat of the devastating floods that befell the state earlier this year. An executive order signed by the governor this month will streamline levee repairs and debris removal to help protect and prepare communities for another potential inundation. Last winter, dozens of levee breaches around the state sent stormwater rushing into communities — killing several people and causing considerable damage. Restoring levees, river channels and other elements of the state’s aged flood infrastructure is critical to public safety. But critics say Newsom’s order also comes at the expense of several rules and regulations designed to protect the environment.

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