It seems that the California Bill is aimed at Santa Barbara’s project

From Ben ChristopherCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

Earlier this year, the legislators of California handed over Historical victory for more housing champions Through the release of most urban apartments of the Law on Environmental Quality in California, a 50-year statute, which has long been blamed for the construction of more homes in my backyard and construction industry as an obstacle to the construction of more homes.

A bill proposed on Monday night, just days before the end of the legislative session, will hit a very small hole in this remarkable law, which seems to be applied to only one proposed apartment building in California – in the area represented by the entry leader of the State Senate.

Senate Bill 158 It would have subjected each project within a city of over 85,000, but less than 95,000 people and in the county between 440,000 and 455,000 people in the State Environment Review Act.

This describes only one place in California, according to Census data in 2020: Santa Barbara, a city represented by Senator Monique LemonS

Earlier this year, the Democrats in the State Senate chose a lemon for the next organ leader. She is set to replace Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuirewhich was called in early 2026

The legislation further narrows the release from any project that rests the humid zone, the river and the state registered historical landmark. It also derives projects larger than four acres, and those who used a particular state law known as “The treatment of the builder“, Which allows developers to bypass local approval processes if the city does not comply with the law on state housing planning.

To social mediaJordan Grims with Greenbelt Area Area Nestopan Alliance and Honor Earth Poster, noted that all these provisions seem to describe a single building with 270 units offered for a site behind Santa Barbara Historic missionS The project is the subject of considerable rage among some of the residents of the wealthy coastal city and the selected leaders. In May, the mayor of Santa Barbara called the project A “Terrible nightmareS “

The developers behind the project, passing under the corporate name of Mission LLC, have been filed against the city repeatedly, claiming that local employees have illegally delayed the project and denied it AA An exception to a tax on religious groundsS

In response to a question from Calmatters in a written statement, the Lemon office denied that the bill was “intended to prevent the advancement of a specific project”.

“This bill clarifies close cases where efforts are needed to review the environment, public contribution and mitigation of development, which is a risk to safety,” the statement said.

In response to a series of subsequent questions, the Lemon office confirmed that the Senator was responsible for the new legislative language, but declined to explain whether the mission project was one of the “narrow cases”, which requires additional review and whether there were actually all others.

The project has a local opposition

The forecasts of the mission project, located at the mouth of Canyon north of Santa Barbara, expressed fears about wild fires and the risk of flooding.

The city of Santa Barbara claims that the CEQA release law from earlier this year not applied to the project. This is based on the interpretation of the law of the city. The budget bill introduced this week will legally strengthen this position.

In the email, Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rose said he would not comment on the project, citing “frequent and continuing litigation with the candidates”.

Richard Jacobs, a lawyer representing the LCC mission, declined to comment on this story on behalf of his client.

The exception in the last minute is part of a wider bill on the budget-statutory budget trailers that aims to direct government agencies how to administer the budget for the year, but which in practice often becomes vehicles for various changes in policy. Unlike other legislation, budget bills are not the author of individual legislators, but from the entire budget committee.

This year saw the legislature to deal with Creating Ambitous Uber Housing AccountsAimed at facilitating developers to be built in the conditions of a chronic crisis of home accessibility throughout the country. Throughout the year, a political schism appeared between the assembly, aided by “yes in my backyard”-a reasoned Speaker Robert Rivasand the Senate, which was less receptive to this ideologyS

For those who hope to detect how the Senate, under the guidance of lemon, can welcome the development legislation, potentially carving at the 11th hour is indicative.

“The California Senate California Senate leader is trying to kill a proposed 250 single apartment building in Santa Barbara through a budget trailer bill?

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.