Statements & coverage

"Ballot initiative may facilitate construction of data centers in California"

One kind of development project that is particularly controversial right now are data centers. So would data centers be covered by Prop 45's CEQA rollback? I think the answer is likely yes. And that has a range of really important implications for any efforts to restrict the construction of data centers.

"Millions flow to fight CEQA rollback"

A new committee fighting a ballot initiative to revamp California's landmark environmental protection law is quickly amassing the cash needed to mount a serious campaign against the business-backed measure. The “One Voice for California” effort, first reported here, received $2 million apiece from the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and Clean and Healthy California, an environmentalist advocacy group with ties to actress Jane Fonda. Proponents of the measure, which qualified for the ballot earlier this week, have already banked more than $15 million.

"CEQA Defenders"

A coalition of labor, environmental and health groups are mobilizing to oppose a ballot initiative that would overhaul the review process under the state's landmark environmental law, POLITICO's Melanie Mason reports. The committee, One Voice for California, is backed by the state building trades union and Clean and Healthy California, an anti-oil industry advocacy group supported by Jane Fonda.

"Raman draws closer, and tech gets spanked"

The [State Building and Construction Trades Council] also is opposing … a California Chamber of Commerce-led initiative to overhaul CEQA, the state's landmark environmental law. [Chris] Hannan had the fiercest criticism for the latter, which he called "One of the most deceiving, most dangerous measures to being able to move California forward."

"‘Abundance’ for whom?"

The housing crisis is about inequality, not environmental law.

"A threat to the Abundance movement? Trust."

A sweeping poll finds that Southern Californians want housing and infrastructure built faster, but don’t trust their elected officials to weaken regulations.

"California Environmental Quality Act Threat"

"A coalition of environmental and public health organizations said this week it will campaign against a California Chamber of Commerce-backed ballot initiative that would scale back the California Environmental Quality Act, arguing the proposal would weaken environmental safeguards, reduce public participation and shift cleanup costs from developers to taxpayers."

"Gutting Critical CEQA Requirements Will Increase Housing Injustices"

"CEQA is not the cause of California\u2019s housing crisis; it is part of the solution. For over fifty years, CEQA has ensured that communities have a voice in development decisions, and that projects consider environmental and health impacts before beginning construction. Weakening CEQA will not make housing more affordable; it will make development decisions less equitable, and less transparent."

"What does the Building an Affordable California Act do?"

"The California Chamber of Commerce is currently collecting signatures for Prop 45, which would substantially change the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). … Prop 45 would require all agencies approving projects by private applicants to only apply the law in place at the time the applicant submitted their application — Prop 45 thus 'vests' rights to develop or proceed with projects by immunizing proposals from any changes in law after the proposal is submitted."

"New Chamber-Backed CEQA Initiative Is A Proposition Californians Can't Afford"

"Despite [the 2025] monumental changes that address the barriers to critical infill development, California's business lobby and sprawl developers were left unsatisfied. Now, they are proposing a ballot initiative that would make far more radical changes to the law. Signature gathering is to begin imminently, and millions of dollars are already flowing into a campaign account from Southern California Edison and the California Building Industry Association."

"War on red tape could hurt working people – Don’t trash CEQA"

"Abundance. Of course! But abundance for whom? The labor movement has always been supportive of dreaming big, building large projects, increasing housing supply and completing massive infrastructure projects. … Our unions know better than anyone what happens when government-funded infrastructure projects and jobs get held up with unnecessary delays, duplicative permitting processes and red tape."

"CEQA, California's Last Line of Defense Against Trump's Environmental Rollbacks"

"The Trump administration has embarked on a full-out attack on environmental policies that have protected Americans — and America's extraordinary natural resources — for generations. … For five decades, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has kept our communities safe and healthy and protected California's coastlines, forests, wildlife and farmland. But in recent years, developer and industry groups have launched a similar campaign to weaken CEQA."