Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with local leaders from across Southern California, marked the six-month anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades fires with a gathering of officials and a news conference Monday at Pasadena City College, pledging ramped up streamlining to rebuild and beefed up efforts to procure billions in federal aid.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Reps. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, and Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, joined Newsom inside the college’s Westerbeck Recital Hall, where they touted the response in the aftermath of the fires over the past half year and outlined steps for moving ahead. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, also attended.

Those steps, they said, include plans to lower construction costs, reduce property taxes and expedite rebuilding.

“It’s about partnership,” Newsom said. “You want to go fast, you go alone. You want to go far, you go together.”

Newsom noted the speed at which debris has been cleared from the fire zones, calling it the fastest wildfire recovery in modern history. But he also acknowledged that even record speed had to be put into the context of the fire’s human toll.

“I’m grateful that we’re here,” Newsom said. “Altadena, in particular, is a special community. In Altadena, the average life lost is 77 years old. We had great-grandparents, not just grandparents, and we had a father and a son that died. Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles that perished in this fire.

“I hope it puts in perspective the moment we’re in,” he added. “I hope it also puts in perspective how blessed we are to be here ... and to have the opportunity to be part of this recovery.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not attend the ceremony, as she was diverted to MacArthur Park, where about 100 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers had descended as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Officers did not appear to make any arrests.

Deputy Mayor Rachel Freeman spoke in Bass’ place.

Word of the activity reached those at PCC and led to strong rebukes from Padilla, Sherman, Chu and Newsom.

“This is also the time, as California has done for so long, to respect and honor the contributions of so many immigrants in our communities because many of them work in construction,” Padilla said. “They’re the construction workers that we need to continue the rebuilding process for our communities.”

During a news conference following his remarks, Newsom took aim at President Donald Trump and his administration in criticizing the ICE activity that occurred Monday, describing it several times as cruel and weak.

“What a disgrace what’s happening at MacArthur Park. What theater,” Newsom said. “On the six-month anniversary after all of these fires. That’s the message from the polluted heart of the president of the United States. The polluted heart of Stephen Miller.”

Miller is the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and the president’s homeland security adviser.

A White House spokesperson later responded: “The only thing Gavin Newsom should be saying is ‘thank you, President Trump.’ President Trump has had to step in and save Californians from Gavin Newsom’s incompetence twice so far during the last six months. First, when Newsom was chronically unprepared to address the January wildfires and just recently when Newsom refused to stop violent, left-wing rioters from attacking federal law enforcement. President Trump will continue to stand up for Californians like a real leader, while Newsom sips wine in Napa.”

Despite the shadow of the raids, the sheer scope of the wildfires was still resonating six months later, leaders said.

The Eaton fire killed 18 people, burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed about 9,400 structures in the unincorporated community of Altadena and the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre.

The Palisades fire burned more than 23,000 acres, destroyed about 6,800 structures and killed 12 people in Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

The fires were fueled by dry weather and a rare windstorm that strengthened flames and carried embers via 80 mph gusts, creating an unprecedented crisis that overwhelmed firefighting efforts.

In the months after the national coverage left town in mid-January, those left to pick up the pieces of their lives have had to deal with myriad unknowns and obstacles: from looters, to securing disaster relief and insurance monies, to signing up for debris removal, to concerns over public health to navigating the bureaucracy on the road to rebuilding.

The process of picking up the physical pieces is nearly complete.

The percentage of private lots cleared in the Eaton fire is 96%. The percentage of cleared private lots in the Palisades is 89%, according to Gerre Laine L. Alcordo, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers. The figures were as of Thursday night.

As the debris clearance efforts inch toward the final stages, the focus has shifted to the rebuilding timeline. According to Los Angeles County, 85 building permits have been issued combined in both fire areas. Of that total, 73 have been issued in the Eaton fire area.

But it’s a timeline that faces significant headwinds.

In the Palisades, nearly 79% of homeowners intend to rebuild, but 70% said they may not return if the process drags on for more than three years. In the Eaton fire area, 89% intend to rebuild, with 63% saying no if it takes too long. The data is from a survey from the Urban Land Institute, in cooperation with USC and UCLA.

Because insurance reimbursement levels are low compared with the cost of rebuilding, the survey concluded: “A significant share of respondents are uncertain if they will have sufficient resources to fully cover rebuilding expenses.”

Newsom announced at PCC that later Monday he’d be signing the latest executive order in response to the fire. He said the order will expand exemptions to the California Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act to rebuild homes and schools faster, exempt fire-affected homes from select building codes to avoid delays and require compliance with local zoning rules.

Padilla, Chu and Sherman said they would continue to fight for federal disaster aid, including Newsom’s request for $40 billion. They said the tragic flooding in Texas highlighted the need for federal assistance in times of natural disasters.

“Disaster recovery should never be used as leverage whether the disaster is in California, North Carolina or Texas,” Chu said. “I certainly will not stop fighting in Congress to fulfill Gov. Newsom’s request and pass a $40 billion supplemental disaster package with no strings attached.”

Los Angeles County officials released highlights of a plan to accelerate the rebuilding process for people who lost their homes by granting permits faster using artificial intelligence, lowering energy capital costs, and reducing property taxes on burned out lots.

Barger noted that Monday was not a “celebration day” but rather a day to let people know she wasn’t taking her eyes off the goals of recovery.

Newsom said that following the PCC event he would be traveling to South Carolina to “highlight and reinforce that message that we’re all in this together.”

He said the trip was part of work on a state-by-state level to get bipartisan support for disaster supplemental relief. Newsom rejected the premise when asked that his trip to South Carolina was connected to any future presidential run.

“It won’t be the last state, and there’ll be other states that are ‘off the map’ so the cynics out there can sort of, I think, resolve any of their anxiety or growing cynicism,” Newsom said.

Several local residents Monday sounded off on the insurance issues, urging leaders to hold insurance companies accountable for alleged mishandling of claims.

Newsom said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara had his administration’s full support in his insurance company investigations.

The rebuilding timeline also faces concerns due to the environmental costs of the fire. On Monday, just outside the hall, six protesters rallied for the government to help with remediation efforts that have left them unable to return to their still standing homes.

They said they were denied entry into the event to ask questions of Newsom and held signs with messages that included, “Toxic ground all around” and “Step up! Clean it up.”

Grace Regullano said her home, which survived the fire, is 400 yards from the southern edge of the Eaton fire.

“There is no recovery without remediation,” Regullano said. “We have been left alone. We are breathing the toxins in our walls, there is asbestos in my office, there is lead in my soil. My children cannot go home.”

Gil Barel, a Pasadena renter and single mother, said her landlord did not do enough remediation to make her home safe to return to yet is asking for rent.

“My landlord provided remediation to the structure, but it’s been very flawed,” Barel said. “They also did a test, and it just doesn’t make any sense because you can see with your eye that it’s still very dirty.”