To Save San Francisco, a Democrat Wants to Scrap Environmental Reviews
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, since 1970 has been a sacred cow in state politics and once helped prevent wrongheaded development. But now Sen. Scott Wiener wants to give it the boot, saying it’s too broad and has been overused by NIMBYs to block any new projects, including direly needed housing in San Francisco and beyond. He says the idea of environmentalism has been flipped and that denser housing near jobs and public transit is more important than allowing one grumpy neighbor to block apartments or condos.
