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Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation: Modifies Environmental Review
For
Certain Projects. Initiative Statute.
Sacramento, Calif. – California
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Ph.D. announced that the
proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting
petition signatures on December 26, 2025.
The Attorney General prepares the legal title and
summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the
official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to
the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may
be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a
calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections
officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the
measure is as follows:
MODIFIES ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR CERTAIN
PROJECTS. INITIATIVE
STATUTE. Amends California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) to expedite environmental review of specified
project categories (including most housing, transportation, water,
health, and clean energy projects). For these types of projects, this
measure:
-sets deadlines for public agencies to complete
environmental review and take required actions for project;
-allows expedited review of project’s
environmental impacts, limiting public agencies’ current obligation
to consider a range of feasible project alternatives to reduce
environmental impacts; and
-limits court review of project approvals by establishing deadlines
for filing and resolving lawsuits and limiting evidence court may
consider and relief it can order.
Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of
fiscal impact on state and local governments: State and local
government implementation costs in the tens of millions of dollars
annually for the first several years. Over the long term, the annual
net fiscal effects are uncertain, but state and local governments
likely would experience net savings due to reduced administrative and
legal workload. Net fiscal effects on state trial courts ranging from
annual savings of up to the tens of millions of dollars to annual
costs of up to the low tens of millions of dollars. (25-0023A1.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2000 and
the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0023A1.
The proponent of the measure, Kurt R. Oneto, must collect signatures
of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast
for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the
measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days
to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must
be submitted to county elections officials no later than June 24,
2026. The proponent may be contacted at Nielsen Merksamer LLP, 1415 L
Street, Suite 1200, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be
contacted at (916) 446-6752 and koneto@nmgovlaw.com.
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