LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO SPEED AFFORDABLE AND INFILL HOUSING MAKES PROP 45 UNNECESSARY...

Bills to Speed Timelines, Promote Infill Housing Win Bipartisan Support, Negate Need for “Trump-like Repeal of California’s Environmental Protections”

SACRAMENTO — Three leading California lawmakers today announced their opposition to Proposition 45, saying the ballot measure is an unnecessary overreach in the wake of the passage of multiple bills in this and previous legislative sessions designed to promote affordable housing and responsible infrastructure development. Proposition 45 is 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, water, and public health laws.

“Proposition 45 would weaken California’s environmental protections without meaningfully addressing the housing crisis, which the Legislature continues to work on year after year,” said Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. “There are other measures on this ballot that will help increase affordable housing. This isn’t one of them. Prop 45 goes too far, has too many loopholes, and would ultimately set us back.”

“Prop 45 is exhibit A of special interests writing the law for themselves, not for the interests of Californians,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), member of the Senate Emergency Management Committee. “The legislature has proven we can and will act on this issue. The legislative process is the right way to do reform, not this abuse of the initiative process. Policy by special interests that is nearly impossible to change is always disastrous.”

“Prop 45 is nothing but a hand out to polluters,” said Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. “It’s not about the housing crisis. It’s not about clean energy. It’s not about affordability. Just follow the money. Data center developers, oil companies, and the major utilities are putting millions into Prop 45 so that they can build more toxic projects, with less accountability, and less community input. We deserve better.”

“Most people don’t quite appreciate how profoundly recent laws changed the game on environmental review for housing,” said Jordan Grimes, Legislative Director at Greenbelt Alliance. “Essentially all urban housing was exempted entirely from CEQA last year, the latest and biggest of dozens of changes to streamline infill and affordable housing. Meanwhile, Prop 45 does nothing to build more of the housing we need. It just puts polluting projects like data centers, freeways, and wildfire-prone sprawl on the fast track.”

Yesterday, the No on Prop 45 campaign launched its first television spot, emphasizing the polluting projects that the measure would fast-track, even as it does nothing for the state’s housing crisis.

These leading legislators join more than 400 organizations including the League of Women Voters of California, American Lung Association, Coalition for Clean Air, California Professional Firefighters, and the California Nurses Association.

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

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