Huge changes to the CA Environment Act, CEQA

GAVIN NEWSOM last week signed a state budget transaction With the warning that the legislature will also improve trailers accounts designed to accelerate the development of homes in California. The governor signed these measures on Monday (more later), signaling a major amendment to the 54-year State Environment Act.

The California or CEQA environmental quality law requires government agencies to review and disclose the environmental impact of any public project, including new housing developments. The new changes to the remarkable law would affect the state in two key ways:

• Urban dwelling: For years, developmental and construction industry defenders have claimed that neighborhood groups and environmentalists have CEQA to slow down or stop new development. Now much of the residential developments in urban filling – housing built into and around the existing development – will no longer be subject to law. This means that developers will not have to explore or mitigate the way new construction can affect local traffic, pollution, noise levels and other environmental factors. Although some housing experts say that the removal of delays that would previously existed under CEQA is significant, it is too early to ensure that development in California will accelerate. Other factors, such as increasing labor costs, tariffs and permits, can also delay construction. Read more by Calmatters’ Ben ChristopherS

• High -tech facilities: Critics of changes to CEQA also make exceptions to high -tech manufacturing sites that they believe would make it easier for companies to build industrial projects in low -income communities that are already struggling with pollution. Democratic Seni. Maria Elena Durazo Los Angeles, for example, cites the extensive efforts to clean up with lead soil, resulting from a battery recycling facility in Vernon. But Seni. WienerA supporter of changes to CEQA said exceptions would help to attract more companies, such as computer chip manufacturers. Democrat from San Francisco said: “These are jobs of the future … and I want them to be in California.” Read more by Calmatters’ Alejandro Lazo and Rachel BeckerS

By a Calfatters Capitol reporter Alexey Kossef:

NEWSOM, “Yes in my backyard” legislators and Union of Carpencers took a win on Monday night when Newsom signed a pair accounts that will optimize environmental examinations For many residential and infrastructure projects in California. The Governor asked the state An entire budget of $ 321 billion – which he signed on Friday – could not come into force without the proposals.

They received his approval only hours before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, at a signature conference, where Newsom announced the changes as needed to make the California building again, or to risk losing the public’s confidence: “We had to become bold and big in this reform of the Holy Grail,” he said.

More budget news: As part of the negotiations for a deal with some public unions of employees this year, the Newsom office makes government costs for health benefits that these workers receive at retirement, CalMatters’ reports Adam AshtonS

With A valuable marker of $ 85 billionHealth benefits serve as one of the largest long-term debts in the country. By stopping payments before two years of financing for current workers, the state will save more than $ 700 million in the new budget year, according to the Newsom office.

As workers in these unions will also not have to contribute to their retirement health care for this period of time, this move will also increase their pay at the home by as much as 4.5%.

Read more hereS

Some changes may be on the way to sports in California:

• Youth football helmets: A year after NEWSOM imposed a veto bill This would forbid children younger than 12 playing football, the legislature is considering a bill from banning youth from dealing with football leagues from banning “soft-and-coastal football additives” that are designed to prevent turmoil. According to the author of the bill, a member of the Assembly Avelino ValenciaAnaheim Democrat and a former college football player, the proposal tries to “make the game the most fierce as possible, while enabling parents and young people to play this game if they decide.” Read more by Calmatters’ Ryan SabalowS

• Payment of Athletes at College: As part of a class action case that comes into force today, the best universities in California can start paying directly to their athletes. Previously, student athletes were paid by third parties as a company for their “name, image and likeness”. But in an unprecedented shift, which further blurs the border between lovers and professional players, the school will be able to pay a total of $ 20.5 million this year to each or all its athletes. Some student athletes at UC Berkeley, for example, could earn more than $ 200,000 a year. Read more by Calmatters’ Adam EchelmanS

California regulators have launched an investigation into the processing of the state farm for claims for fire from fires in La County. Calmatters Levags And the video strategy director Robert Meeks has a video about the probe from which it stems Reports of Survivors of Delay and Poor Service As part of our partnership with PBS Socal. Watch it hereS

And see another video from Ben Christopher and Robert for Calmatters Displacement of public transport riders in gentrifying neighborhoods. Watch it hereS

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