A New Day for the California Environmental Quality Act

The California Natural Resources Agency posted the final version of amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act, enabled by 2013's SB 743, at the end of 2018.

2 minute read

January 8, 2019, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


empty parking lot of Eastvale, California's best buy and kohl's, mountains in background

Brien Clark / Wikimedia Commons

Melanie Curry reports on the long-awaited adoption of California's SB 743—a bill signed in 2013 to reform the California Environmental Quality Act by ending the use of Level of Service as a metric for development impact. Vehicle miles traveled is now the preferred metric. Curry refers to Level of Service as car delay, and environmentalists and smart growth advocates have long noted that it's a strange way to measure environmental impact.

"The [new] rules say that vehicle miles traveled–the amount in distance of automobile travel produced by a project–is a more appropriate measure of transportation impacts than vehicle delay," explains Curry. "Specifically, the new rule states that 'a project’s effect on automobile delay shall not constitute a significant environmental impact.' In addition, development projects within a half-mile of high quality transit are presumed not to have a significant environmental impact."

The bill that passed in 2013 might have shot higher than the final rules produced by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, however, after compromises during the rule making process. For instance, "planners will be allowed 'discretion' on which measure to use–so they could choose to stick with the outdated and discredited Level of Service metric," reports Curry.

"The new rules take effect immediately as advisory, but by June 2020 they will apply to all new environmental analyses," according to Curry. For more information on the final bureaucratic actions that put the new rules into advisory effect, see an article posted by Norman F. Carlin, Kevin Ashe, and Eric Moorman on the Pillsbury Law website.

Friday, January 4, 2019 in Streetsblog California

Aerial view of snowy single-family homes in suburban Long Island, New York

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition

Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

March 20, 2023 - Mark H. McNulty

Large historic homes and white picket fences line a street.

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

March 23, 2023 - The Washington Post

Dilapidated vacant wood slat house painted white in Louisiana

The Quiet Housing Crisis in Rural America

While housing shortages in major cities are grabbing headlines, rural communities are seeing higher rates of growth in housing prices and a silently spreading homelessness crisis.

March 20, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

Aerial view of desalination plant in Carlsbad, California

Federal Loan to Support San Diego Desalination Plant Overhaul

The financing will go toward funding an updated cooling system and ensuring the protection of local marine life.

March 28 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Buses in downtown Seattle on the dedicated 3rd Avenue bus lanes

Seattle Bus Lane Cameras Capture Over 100,000 Violations

An automated traffic enforcement pilot program caught drivers illegally using transit lanes more than 110,000 times in less than a year.

March 28 - Axios

People walking on the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain

The Joy of Walking

An essay meditating on the simple pleasures of a good walk.

March 28 - The New York Times

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.