All articles tagged with #ceqa
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a historic overhaul of California's environmental laws, including changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), aiming to address the state's housing shortage and homelessness crisis by reducing bureaucratic delays in development, despite opposition from environmental groups.
California lawmakers, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, have passed legislation to weaken the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to facilitate more housing development, addressing the state's severe housing shortage and homelessness crisis, despite opposition from environmentalists concerned about ecological impacts.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1307, a measure aimed at removing barriers to housing construction by addressing the misuse of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The legislation, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, allows universities to develop affordable housing without considering residential noise as a significant environmental effect under CEQA. It also eliminates the requirement for public universities to consider alternative locations for housing projects. The move comes in response to a court ruling that blocked UC Berkeley's housing development due to noise impacts. Governor Newsom and legislators are committed to making it easier to build the housing the state desperately needs.
During the budget negotiations, California Governor Gavin Newsom employed tactics such as using the budget process to enact significant policy changes late in the game, bluffing on certain proposals, and fighting with environmental groups while also aligning with oil companies. His willingness to veto the budget if he didn't get his way on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) revealed rifts between his administration and Assembly negotiators. Newsom also emphasized the need for fiscal restraint due to the state's $32 billion deficit and indicated that he may seek additional changes to CEQA in the future.