On June 30, 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two budget trailer bills—AB 130 and SB 131—that together work major changes both to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California housing law. Because these bills...more
The governor’s 2025-26 budget proposal breaks the cycle of deficits past with a cautiously optimistic projection of a $322.2 million surplus. The source of this modest surplus, which comes as a great surprise to many still...more
Earlier today, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a special legislative session aimed at equipping California with the financial and legal resources needed to defend its policies and values in anticipation of potential challenges...more
It typically takes weeks for counties in California to process and count all of the ballots. Elections officials have approximately one month to complete their extensive tallying, auditing and certification work. The...more
Welcome to “CEQA News You Can Use,” a quarterly production of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP’s Natural Resources lawyers. This publication provides quick, useful bites of CEQA news, which we hope can be a resource to...more
On Thursday, Sept. 19, Gov. Newsom signed a package of housing bills designed to address the housing crisis affecting California. Below is a brief summary of key bills....more
Welcome to “CEQA News You Can Use,” a quarterly production of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP’s Natural Resources lawyers. This publication provides quick, useful bites of CEQA news, which we hope can be a resource to...more
The March 5 primary is right around the corner in California. Headlining the ballot—alongside a slate full of legislative Democrat-on-Democrat primary battles reflecting significant turnover due to term limits—is Proposition...more
Bill imposes a clock on CEQA review for certain infill housing projects, weakens project opponents' ability to obtain attorney fee awards...more
Bill extends exemption from CEQA and discretionary entitlements for housing projects while adding the Coastal Zone to the mix -
If you are having trouble keeping track of all the housing bills in California this year,...more
On Oct. 11, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed this year’s slate of housing bills to “incentivize and reduce barriers to housing and support the development of more affordable homes.” Among the 56 bills signed is AB 1287, the...more
Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 4, the Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023, a highly anticipated bill to streamline affordable housing on land owned by religious institutions and...more
California lawmakers wrapped up the 2023 session last Thursday night. With over 2,600 bills introduced this session, hundreds still await the governor’s signature. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a deadline of Oct. 14 to sign or veto...more
A flurry of activity will mark the last two weeks of the session of the California State Legislature. When they convene on Tuesday, Sept. 5, the Assembly will have eight session days scheduled with the Senate having seven...more
In this alert, Brownstein outlines Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest swing at the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and provides the updates (and potentially what to expect) regarding two new bills introduced by Sen. Scott...more
On Friday, May 12, California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference to present the May Revise to the 2023-24 state budget proposal. This budget updates the governor's January budget announcement by demonstrating a...more
California has a long history of setting precedent for environmental action, and this year proves no different. As a large economy with much to lose—increasing water supply volatility, increased wildfire severity, heat waves,...more
For the last six years, veteran California Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) has been on a crusade to help local governments build the critical infrastructure—from streets and sanitation to water supply and fire...more