On Monday, California lawmakers made a significant move by passing a law that eases restrictions on urban “infill” development, including changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
According to calmators.org:
The newly passed State budget-related housing bill indicates that the CEQA will no longer pose a major hurdle for urban housing projects in California.
This essentially means that many new apartment constructions won’t face the persistent threat of environmental lawsuits.
Additionally, urban developers won’t be required to evaluate, anticipate, or address the impact of new housing on local traffic, air quality, local wildlife, noise levels, water quality, and historical or archaeological sites.
Supporters of the rollback have pointed out the serious housing shortages in California, partly because of various bureaucratic challenges linked to CEQA that hinder development and keep young buyers out of the market.
Governor Gavin Newsom has formally approved this rollback as part of a larger budget package totaling $322 billion. This initiative aims to cut down a $12 billion deficit through several reductions, including preventing new unauthorized immigrants from enrolling in California’s Medi-Cal program.
In his statement, Newsom highlighted his budget and the CEQA rollback as part of a new agenda. However, there has been criticism regarding the focus on central government control by Democrats, and Newsom’s reforms have been deemed relatively minor. For instance, while signing the budget, he allowed the planned increase in gas tax and fuel standards to proceed on July 1st.
