Jerry Brown’s plan to stem the state’s housing affordability crisis was simple: Make it easier to build houses. “I think it was an aggressive proposal that touched a lot of nerves,” said Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), the chairman of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. “When you walk out of your house in the morning, the problems you see are traffic, housing,” said Perata, who supported Brown’s plan. Brown’s plan took aim at these local restrictions. Brown’s plan would have allowed qualifying projects to avoid additional review under the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA, the state’s chief environmental law governing development.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 12, 2016 06:56 UTC