CEQA Gutted! Take action by August 15th
For those who do not know, for 50 years, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), required most development projects to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to identify impacts to our communities and the natural world around us. It also required community outreach so that your voice is heard. After all, those who live, work, and play in any community, know the issues better than developers who may not even live in California.
In June 2025, as part of the budget bill, the legislature added a trailer bill to the budget that removed many, many types of projects from CEQA requirements. These include certain types of energy generation, biotechnology manufacturing, chemical processing, and many others.
Once a project no longer has to comply with CEQA, then the project developer no longer has to mitigate for negative impacts. Mitigation can preserve and/or protect key pieces of land, limit hours of operation, reduce pollution, create traffic calming measure, situate projects outside of critical habitat, avoid areas of repeated extreme wildfires, keep polluting projects away from schools, and many other mitigations. For example, thanks to CEQA, Highway 52 does not go through the bottom of Marian Bear Natural Park where we we love to hike and bird watch, but to the side of the canyon thereby protecting the wetland corridor that is so critical in a dry climate like San Diego’s.
Please reach out to your elected officials with either a thank you or to express your displeasure via the Contact Me form on their websites. Click on the names to send the message..
Thank You Email
Thank you to our State Senator Catherine Blakespear, who abstained from voting and brought up important issues in regards to protecting habitat, and our Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, who abstained from voting and raised critical concerns about this bill. These two amazing women represent the area of Lower Rose Creek. Here is text you can use in your email.
Thank you for not voting for Senate Bill 131. Unfortunately, despite the concerns raised, this bill was signed into law this month and will result in the loss of important habitat in California and the siting of toxic manufacturing facilities next door to already overburdened communities.
To remedy these two issues, I urge you to advocate for cleanup legislation for SB 131 as soon as possible and before the end of this session to do the following:
1. Add habitat and lands important for Natural Community Conservation Plans/Habitat Conservation Plans to the definition of “natural and protected lands” under CEQA.
2. Remove the Advanced Manufacturing CEQA exemption.
Raised Concerns Email
State Senator Steve Padilla, while voting for the bill, raised concerns. Please send him an email with a message similar to this one.
While I am very disappointed with your vote in favor of Senate Bill 131, I appreciate the concerns you raised about this bill and its impact on important habitat and overburdened communities. Since this bill sidestepped the regular legislative process and provided little time for legislators to review and understand its impacts, I hope you will support cleanup legislation for SB 131.
I hope that you will take the time to understand my concerns and support legislation before the end of session to fix two critical issues:
1. Add habitat and lands important for Natural Community Conservation Plans/Habitat Conservation Plans to the definition of “natural and protected lands” under CEQA.
2. Remove the Advanced Manufacturing CEQA exemption.
Displeasure Emails
The following San Diego State Senators and Assemblymembers voted in favor of the bill: State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson; as well as the following State Assemblymembesr David Alvarez; Dr. Darshana Patel, Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins, Chris Ward, and Laurie Davies. Please email them with a message similar to this one.
I am writing to express my deep disappointment with your vote in favor of Senate Bill 131. Despite the concerns raised about this bill and its impact on important habitat and overburdened communities, you voted in favor of this bill. Since this bill sidestepped the regular legislative process and provided little time for legislators to review and understand its impacts, I am asking you to support cleanup legislation for SB 131.
I hope that you will take the time to understand my concerns and support legislation before the end of session to fix two critical issues:
1. Add habitat and lands important for Natural Community Conservation Plans/Habitat Conservation Plans to the definition of “natural and protected lands” under CEQA.
2. Remove the Advanced Manufacturing CEQA exemption.
Thank you for engaging in community activism
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