League of Women Voters California: NO on Prop 45

SACRAMENTO  — Saying it is “unnecessary and flawed,” the League of Women Voters California today announced its opposition to Proposition 45, the California Chamber of Commerce’s 41-page ballot initiative that would roll back state environmental protections and weaken the state’s defense against President Trump’s attack on state clean air, clean water and public health laws.

“The League of Women Voters of California has always recognized the need for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) mandated environmental reviews of projects to create new housing, education, health, and public safety facilities, plus clean energy, transportation, and water projects to determine potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures to reduce adverse impacts…But the process overhaul of CEQA proposed by Prop 45 goes too far,” notes the League in its opposition

Prop 45 would result in "the probability of rushed studies, incomplete analyses, lack of feasible alternatives, poor interagency coordination, less public participation, and decisions that are done in haste to meet the required timelines without considering the full consequences,” continues the League analysis. “Statutory exemptions and expedited processes are in place, some of which the League supported, making Proposition 45 unnecessary and flawed with this prescriptive process and inflated promises. Further Prop 45 reduces opportunity for public engagement. Finally, voters are being asked to pass this long, detailed statute in a ballot initiative. Making changes or adjustments to this law would be difficult: legislative amendments would require a two-thirds vote of each house and would have to be consistent with and further the purposes of the measure; broader changes would have to go back to the voters.”

Read the entire League opposition statement here.

The League of Women Voters California joins more than 300 other organizations opposed to Proposition 45. They include the California Democratic Party, California Professional Firefighters and the Coalition for Clean Air.

The independent Legislative Analyst’s Office concluded the measure will likely cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

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