By Dan Walters
September 5, 2025
Two months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators from both parties celebrated enacting landmark legislation to remove the California Environmental Quality Act as an impediment to new housing construction.
Lopsided votes in the Legislature for Assembly Bill 130 and Newsom’s immediate signature seemingly ended decades of debate over how the environmental law, signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan more than 50 years ago, was being used to delay or kill residential developments.
“Saying ‘no’ to housing in my community will no longer be state sanctioned,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat who has long advocated for CEQA reform. “This isn’t going to solve all of our housing problems in the state, but it is going to remove the single biggest impediment to building environmentally friendly housing.”
Newsom took obvious pleasure in achieving what had eluded other governors, including predecessor Jerry Brown, who once described overhauling CEQA as “the lord’s work.”
As Newsom signed the measure into law he thanked legislators and housing, labor and environmental leaders “who heeded my call and came together around a common goal — to build more housing faster and create strong, affordable pathways for every Californian.
“Today’s bill is a game changer which will be felt for generations to come,” he said.