CEQA Reform Bills Moving Quickly Through California Legislature

A California environmental law often maligned as a contributor to slow housing production could be sidestepped by two new bills working their way quickly through the state legislature. 

With some maneuvering by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bills are being fast-tracked and could become law within weeks, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

AB 609, sponsored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, would allow housing projects in infill, urbanized areas under 20 acres that meet local zoning standards to be eligible for exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act. 

SB 607, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, would include provisions to reduce the number of projects that need to go through the full environmental review.

Newsom endorsed the bills and included them as part of the state budget, allowing them to sidestep normal committee hearings and potentially become law within weeks.

“This is the biggest opportunity to do something big and bold, and the only impediment is us,” Newsom said of the bills in May.

CEQA was created to ensure new projects were adequately evaluated for their impact on the environment. However, it has long been weaponized by those seeking to stop new housing and has been pointed to as a major contributor to the state's shortage of attainable housing. 

Some are concerned that these new bills could jeopardize the environmental protection element of the law in the name of housing. 

“What folks aren’t realizing is that along with the environmental regulations comes a lot of public transparency and public engagement,” Asha Sharma, state policy manager at Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability, said to the LA Times. 

“When you’re rolling back CEQA, you’re rolling back that too," Sharma said.