February 2013

On February 22, 2013, Senator President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg introduced SB 731, a bill the Senator’s website press release described as “outlining the detailed intent that strengthens [CEQA’s] protection of the state’s environment and residents while modernizing the law to help the growth of California’s economy.”  Notable features of SB 731 include:
Continue Reading “Bare-Bones” CEQA Reform Bill (SB 731) Introduced By Senator Steinberg; Senator Evans Proposes Legislation to Further Expand CEQA

After receiving three separate petitions for review, including petitions from real parties Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the City of Sonora, the California Supreme Court voted unanimously on February 13, 2013 to grant review of the Fifth District’s controversial decision in Tuolomne Jobs & Small Business Alliance v. Superior Court (Wal-Mart Stores), Supreme Court Case No. S207173.  The League of California Cities had also requested depublication of the Fifth District’s decision while the petitions for review were pending.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Will Review CEQA Decision From Fifth District In Wal-Mart Citizen Initiative Case

Hot on the heels of Governor Jerry Brown’s 2013 State of the State address, which raised the need for CEQA reform (as noted in my immediately-preceding blog post), a trio of former California governors has echoed and amplified Brown’s observations.  In an op-ed special to The Sacramento Bee published February 3, 2013, former Governors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis – all members of the non-partisan, non-profit Southern California Leadership Council – decried CEQA’s abuses and called for its meaningful reform and modernization, stating: “As three former California governors who often have differing views, on this point we wholeheartedly agree, and join with Gov. Brown in his call to modernize CEQA.”
Continue Reading Perfect Storm for CEQA Reform In 2013? Former Govs Weigh In

In his 2013 State of the State address delivered on January 24, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown focused on education, health care, jobs, and the interrelated areas of climate change, water, transportation and the high speed rail project. Continuing an express agenda of CEQA reform originating during his time as Oakland’s mayor, the Governor stated the following in his discussion on jobs:  “We also need to rethink and streamline our regulatory procedures, particularly the California Environmental Quality Act.  Our approach needs to be based on consistent standards that provide greater certainty and cut needless delays.”
Continue Reading CEQA Reform Goal Is Noted In Governor’s State of the State Address