Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign Assembly Bills 130 and 131, which will significantly overhaul California's Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by exempting various projects from extensive environmental reviews. This legislative move is intended to expedite housing and infrastructure development in response to California's acute housing crisis. While proponents argue that CEQA has been abused to hinder progress, critics highlight the law's role in protecting environmental justice. With ongoing housing affordability concerns, the reform aims to streamline project approval and increase essential amenities across the state.
The governor had two top allies in the Bay Area: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and state Sen. Scott Wiener, two Democrats who led the push for reform.
CEQA requires developments to undergo a lengthy and often expensive review process that critics say is often weaponized to extract concessions from developers.
If California is ever going to truly tackle our crisis of affordability, we need to build an abundance of housing, child care centers, water infrastructure, broadband and all the things that we need to make life better and more affordable.
Too often, CEQA is used to derail projects for reasons having absolutely nothing to do with the environment.
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