Anyone with $2,000 to burn can file an initiative with California’s secretary of state, but most measures never get off the ground given the costs of gathering signatures. But when we saw reports about the “Building an Affordable California Act,” we took notice. It’s sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce, which doesn’t mess around.

This proposal — likely to be on the November 2026 ballot — promises to provide the long-overdue, widespread revamping of the “landmark” California Environmental Quality Act. Signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan, CEQA morphed into a bureaucratic nightmare that has restricted the construction of every type of project, from housing to parks to green energy facilities.

Intended to ensure that local officials consider environmental concerns when givi

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