… The California Chamber of Commerce collected the signatures necessary to qualify Proposition 45 for the November statewide ballot, in an effort to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA. The changes, if approved by a majority of voters, will help lower housing, energy and water costs, supporters say, by cutting burdensome regulations and making it easier to build everything from homes to reservoirs to solar farms. Environmental groups call the measure a giveaway to developers, and are lining up to fight it. The contest is expected to be the first clear indication in years about whether Californians are willing to rewrite environmental regulations — which they have traditionally supported — as concerns about housing prices, utility bills and other costs have soared to the top of polls.