[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Allayaud
State Director, Sierra Club California

For a number of years, the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) has roamed the halls of the Capitol, shouting “Housing Crisis, Housing Crisis.” This was part of their well-planning campaign to weaken California’s environmental protection and planning laws. Of course, with the median house price in California going through the roof, it was easy to get the attention of legislators who were well aware that more and more of their constituents were being priced out of the housing market.

And because of this valid concern, the developers saw their opportunity. They introduced a series of bills to solve the “housing crisis” by blaming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the “red tape” a builder had to go through to get new housing approved.

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

It's been just about two weeks since the Senate collapsed. Sad to say, that we might even be further away from a solution. Let's look at this mess in a bit of a random order. Lot's of things going on, even if there has been absolutely no progress.

14 Senators are holding up the budget until a majority of their far right cohort agrees to the deal, even though we only need one more vote. Essentially they are requiring that 74% of the legislature approves of the final budget. The two-thirds budget requirement is arcane as it is, but to require near unanimous consent is just absurd.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

At a press availability today, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) said he was not interested in reopening budget negotiations. But if conditions necessitate a return to renegotiating the budget, the Speaker said he would now push for complete funding to social services and transportation, and he said future bonds and CEQA alterations are off the table.

This is part one of eight videos. Additional video can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Kassie R. Siegel
Director
Climate, Air, and Energy Program
Center for Biological Diversity

Let’s be clear about the California Environmental Quality Act and global warming.

As our state’s flagship environmental law, CEQA requires all state and local agencies to assess, and then to reduce, to the extent feasible, all significant environmental impacts from new projects. Greenhouse gas emissions are among the most important impacts that CEQA addresses, and thus the law provides an ideal opportunity as well as a legal mandate for cities, counties, and other agencies to consider the greenhouse gas emissions from new projects they approve and then to adopt measures to reduce those emissions. The CEQA environmental review process is not about stopping projects, but about improving them. This process is established across the state and has a long, proven record of success. The CEQA is a key component of the suite of laws and policies already on the books to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League