Pasadena Star: Are Environmental Laws Making the Housing Affordability Crisis Worse?

A variety of factors have slowed the construction of much needed homes in California but few factors have undermined the process more than the California Environmental Quality Act, a panel of experts said Tuesday. Speaking at the “California Housing: The Cost of Not Housing” summit in downtown Los Angeles, representatives from Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco weighed in on the issue. They noted that CEQA challenges are typically motivated by a not-in-my-backyard mentality. Many residents simply don’t want new development in their neighborhoods — particularly high-density housing projects.