News & Analysis as of

Regulatory Reform California Environmental Quality Act Zoning Laws

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

California Budget Bills Plug Holes to Stop Certain Projects from Sinking

This is the 10th update in our series covering AB 130 and SB 131, two bills that work substantive changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California housing law....more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Cutting Through California's Housing Crisis: Are New CEQA Exemptions Enough?

As discussed in our earlier post, California's CEQA landscape has rapidly, and potentially seismically, evolved with the passage of AB 130 and SB 131. This post focuses on the immediate creation of a new statutory exemption,...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

How SB 131 Tries To Put the ‘Land’ Back in ‘Land Use’

This is the ninth update in our series covering AB 130 and SB 131, two bills that work substantive changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California housing law....more

Holland & Knight LLP

California's Summer Blockbuster, Continued!: Newly Enacted Non-Housing CEQA Reforms

Holland & Knight LLP on

Senate Bill (SB) 131 includes important California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemptions for qualified advanced manufacturing projects, health centers and rural clinics, childcare centers, food banks, farmworker...more

Downey Brand LLP

Wait, What? Major Changes to CEQA Slip into Law via Deft Maneuvering

Downey Brand LLP on

Much is discussed every year in the Legislature about how the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) needs reform. But the calls for change nearly always fail, aside from a few tinkering changes. This year is...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

CEQA Reform: AB 130 and SB 131 Create Series of Exemptions for Wide Range of Projects

Note: This is the third update in our series covering AB 130 and SB 131, two bills that work substantive changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California housing law....more

Miller Starr Regalia

State Budget Bill Includes Landmark CEQA and Housing Law Changes

Miller Starr Regalia on

On June 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 130 and SB 131 into immediately effective law as budget trailer bills, marking a historic effort to accelerate housing production and to reform the CEQA review process that has been...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

California Real Estate Developers Optimistic About CEQA Reform

Husch Blackwell LLP on

On June 30, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 130 (AB 130) and Senate Bill 131 (SB 131), legislation that contains significant changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that...more

Mayer Brown

California Legislation Eviscerates CEQA for Most Housing Projects

Mayer Brown on

In a monumental win for pro-housing advocates, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation essentially exempting most housing and mixed-use projects from CEQA....more

Nossaman LLP

CEQA Reform is Here: California Prioritizes Common Sense Development Policies Over Paper-Pushing

Nossaman LLP on

Part one of a three-part series - Governor Gavin Newsom signed two sweeping budget trailer bills, Assembly Bill 130 (AB 130) and Senate Bill 131 (SB 131), into law on June 30, 2025, enacting meaningful changes to the...more

Perkins Coie

Major Reforms Enacted to the California Environmental Quality Act

Perkins Coie on

Key Takeaways - - AB 130 and SB 131 were recently passed by the California Legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, enacting the most significant reforms to CEQA in recent years. - AB 130 establishes a new statutory...more

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass

New CEQA Exemption for Housing Development Projects: What it Means for Developers

Governor Gavin Newsom signed two budget trailer bills on June 30, 2025, enacting the most substantial reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in over five decades—most significantly by introducing a new...more

Meyers Nave

California Enacts Landmark Housing and Infrastructure Reform — Major CEQA Streamlining, Permitting Acceleration, and Funding Tools...

Meyers Nave on

On June 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed into law a sweeping set of housing and infrastructure reforms as part of the 2025–2026 State Budget, marking one of the most significant overhauls of the California Environmental...more

Allen Matkins

Effective Immediately: CEQA Reform Legislation

Allen Matkins on

On June 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed two budget trailer bills into law: Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131, which reform the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) effective immediately. As explained by the...more

Allen Matkins

Pending State Housing Laws: New CEQA Exemptions and Expanded Opportunities for Streamlined Ministerial Approval

Allen Matkins on

Various state housing bills are currently making their way through the California State Legislature that are expected to benefit mixed-income multifamily housing developers. The following summaries reflect the status of the...more

Allen Matkins

Recent Amendments to Affordable Housing and High Roads Job Act of 2022 (AB 2011)

Allen Matkins on

AB 2243 (Wicks) amended AB 2011 effective January 1, 2025. As explained in our prior legal alert, AB 2011 provides for “by right” streamlined ministerial (i.e., no CEQA) approval of qualifying mixed-income and affordable...more

Allen Matkins

Recent Amendments to the Starter Home Revitalization Act

Allen Matkins on

SB 684 and SB 1123 (Caballero) expand the Starter Home Revitalization Act to further facilitate the construction of “starter” home projects consisting of up to 10 dwelling units (not exceeding an average of 1,750 net...more

Downey Brand LLP

Senate Bill 607 and Potential Sweeping Changes to CEQA

Downey Brand LLP on

This year, over fifty bills were introduced in the Legislature that directly addressed a CEQA issue. Many died in committee, or failed to make it out of their respective houses. The vast majority of those that advanced sought...more

Allen Matkins

Sustainable Development and Land Use Update 6.5.25

Allen Matkins on

On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court held that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of projects that they carry out, fund, or approve — does not...more

Allen Matkins

Sustainable Development and Land Use Update 3.21.25

Allen Matkins on

Senator Scott Wiener is back with another bill – SB 79 – to provide for streamlined ministerial (i.e., no CEQA) approval of qualifying housing development projects near transit across California. For qualifying projects...more

Best Best & Krieger LLP

A Well-Informed Start to 2025: BBK’s Guidance for New Laws in California – Housing Part One

In part one of the Housing New Laws series from Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK), attorneys cover important new housing legislation for 2025 that updates the Housing Accountability Act and relates to housing development fees....more

Miller Starr Regalia

CEQA Identified by Assembly Select Committee Report as Among Obstacles to Permitting Reform Needed to Meet State’s Housing and...

Miller Starr Regalia on

The “California Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform Final Report – March 2025” (the “Report”), published earlier this month, sounds an alarm bell regarding the need to overhaul the state’s “failed approach to...more

Miller Starr Regalia

Is Robust and Disruptive CEQA Reform Possible?  Senator Scott Wiener Wants to Find Out – His Proposed SB 607 Would Exempt...

Miller Starr Regalia on

On February 20, 2025, Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill No. 607 (SB 607), a proposed law that is relatively short in text length, but which would engender major CEQA reforms if enacted as currently drafted.  The...more

Paul Hastings LLP

LA Wildfires: Will the Governor’s Efforts to Streamline Environmental Permitting Really Matter?

Paul Hastings LLP on

On January 12, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order (EO N-4-25) to suspend permitting requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act, with the...more

Perkins Coie

Approval of Class 32 Exemption Invalid Without Analysis of Project Consistency with Redevelopment Plan

Perkins Coie on

The Court of Appeal held that before issuing a CEQA Class 32 exemption, the City of Los Angeles was required to assess whether the project was consistent not only with the applicable zoning ordinance but also with the area’s...more

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