Ballot initiative would expedite environmental impact reviews

Business leaders want voters to revise state law for housing, other crucial infrastructure.

- GRACE TOOHEY

THE STATE Chamber of Commerce seeks a ballot initiative to streamline reviews of infrastructure projects.

ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times

California voters could soon be asked to usher in a major overhaul of the state's landmark environmental law, a proposal aimed at expediting crucial infrastructure projects, including housing construction, by creating new deadlines for environmental oversight.

The California Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday introduced a ballot initiative that looks to "streamline and speed up approval" of essential projects, proposing stringent timelines for reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA—long considered a barrier to development.

The proposal comes less than four months after state lawmakers, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, pushed through some of the most expansive CEQA exemptions yet for home builders working in urban areas zoned for multifamily units.

But chamber leaders say this ballot measure, which could be considered as early as November 2026, would do more than just carve out another exception for what's become known as the "Swiss cheese CEQ." It would revise the process entirely.