… Two proposals have advanced rapidly through the Legislature: one to wipe away the law (CEQA) for most urban housing developments, the other to weaken the rules for most everything else. Legal experts say the efforts would be the most profound changes to CEQA in generations. Newsom not only endorsed the bills last month, but also put them on a fast track to approval by proposing their passage as part of the state budget, which bypasses normal committee hearings and means they could become law within weeks. … Nearly the entire 55-year history of the California Environmental Quality Act has featured dueling narratives about its effects. … Many credit CEQA for helping preserve the state’s scenic vistas and waterways while others decry its ability to thwart housing and infrastructure projects, including the long-delayed and budget-busting high-speed rail.

Other California environmental law news:

• Public News Service: Calif. Senate to consider extension of Habitat Conservation Fund​