One election just ended, but another potentially major voter battle has already started in California.

No, not the governor’s race, but a proposed ballot measure that could make significant changes to one of the state’s landmark environmental laws — the California Environmental Quality Act.

Late last month, the California Chamber of Commerce announced it had filed paperwork to place a measure on next November’s statewide ballot that would overhaul the law, commonly known as CEQA, with the goal of cutting red tape, lowering housing and energy costs, and making construction easier.

If the Chamber and its supporters collect 546,000 valid signatures by next spring, as expected, the “Building an Affordable California Act” would impose a 365-day limit on environmental reviews for a wide range

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