Environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality Act would no longer apply to the construction of homeless shelters under a law proposed in the California State Legislature.

"A California Democrat introduced legislation on Wednesday to speed up construction for homeless shelters and affordable housing in the state by exempting certain projects from environmental review," reports Hannah Wiley.
Assembly Bill 1907, authored by Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), would end the need for environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for specific kinds of homeless shelters and other emergency housing facilities until 2029. The bill would expand statewide a similar law, applying only to the city of Los Angeles, authored by Santiago in 2019 and signed by Governor Newsom into law, according to Wiley.
Liam Dillon provides additional news coverage of the proposed law, noting that CEQA "has been credited with helping to preserve California’s natural beauty but also blamed for stymieing construction."
FULL STORY: New California proposal would skip environmental review for homeless shelters

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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