Roundtable Discussion: The California Environmental Quality Act

2 minute read

May 23, 2006, 12:00 AM PDT

By

How deeply does the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA—one of the oldest statewide environmental laws—impact urban planning in California? Does it effectively balance the interests of the state's citizens, the building industry, and environmentalists? How do planners use the law, and what kind of growth does it promote in the state? In this exclusive Planetizen Roundtable Discussion, CEQA experts discuss the powerful law's wide-ranging impact on planning issues, and evaluate opportunities for reform.

Participants

  • Sean Hecht, Executive Director of the UCLA School of Law Environmental Law Center
  • Dr. Dan Silver, Executive Director of the Endangered Habitats League
  • Andy Henderson, Vice President and General Counsel of the Building Industry Association of Southern California
  • Chris Joseph, President and Principal of environmental consulting firm Christopher A. Joseph & Associates
  • David Gest, Planetizen Managing Editor, discussion moderator

Track Listings [1.3 hours total running time]

  • Track 1 - Introduction to Planetizen Roundtable
  • Track 2 - Introduction to CEQA and CEQA terminology - 1
  • Track 3 - Introduction to CEQA and CEQA terminology - 2
  • Track 4 - Introductions to Roundtable participants
  • Track 5 - Does CEQA really work?
  • Track 6 - How political is CEQA? (Delays, lawsuits)
  • Track 7 - Problems with project-level review
  • Track 8 - Affordable housing and infill development
  • Track 9 - Is CEQA a smart growth law?
  • Track 10 - Time for a statewide planning law? - 1
  • Track 11 - Time for a statewide planning law? - 2
  • Track 12 - What would life be like without CEQA?

File Contents, Type, and Size Downloadable WinZip file  [20 MB] containing:
Audio - 12 MP3 audio tracks
Text - Transcript of discussion highlights and other notes [PDF] 

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo walking down city street.

Cuomo Is the Candidate of Both NIMBYs and Developers. What Gives?

In the New York City mayoral race, odd bedfellows align to preserve the housing status quo.

June 23, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

15 seconds ago - Governing

Large building under construnction in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia at sunset.

Charlottesville Temporarily Has No Zoning Code

A judge ordered the Virginia city to throw out its newly revised zoning code, leaving permitting for new development in legal limbo.

1 hour ago - Charlottesville Tomorrow

Aerial view of new neifhborhood under construction with enpty lots in foreground.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won

A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

July 2 - CALmatters