"Newsom's Bill Sparks Controversy: University Housing Plan Threatens Berkeley's People's Park"

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law that streamlines the process for universities to build housing, aiming to address the state's severe housing crisis. The bill, Assembly Bill 1307, was drafted in response to a legal battle between UC Berkeley and local residents over noise concerns related to a proposed housing project. The law changes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to exclude noise generated by project occupants as a significant environmental effect. Critics argue that the law will lead to the destruction of Berkeley's People's Park, a historic site of political activism. The passage of the bill comes amidst a statewide housing crisis affecting over 400,000 students across California's university systems.