Can Reforms to a Landmark Environmental Law Help Ease California's Housing Crisis?

West Coast Land Use and Environment attorney Daniel Golub was quoted in a Courthouse News Service article exploring landmark reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and their potential effects on California's housing shortage. The changes include new exemptions for certain infrastructure projects, advanced manufacturing facilities, healthcare centers and apartment buildings in cities, allowing these projects to bypass the CEQA review process that had been viewed by some as a hindrance to development. Mr. Golub noted that the reforms alone will not erase complications with environmental reviews or CEQA litigation but characterized them as an important step toward creating a pathway to build much-needed housing.

"This will not end the housing crisis overnight – no one should be surprised to hear that," he said. "But it's a very meaningful attempt to reduce the cost and uncertainty of building housing in infill locations, and I expect it to have a significant effect."

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