California budget approval comes with labor, environmental overhaul

The California state budget battle is taking a turn that environmental advocates and labor leaders are fighting.Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’ll sign off on the $321 billion budget— but only under certain conditions. Newsom is demanding that lawmakers make changes to California’s environmental review process.”They’re trying to do something really unprecedented,” says Raquel Mason with the California Environmental Justice Alliance.Environmental advocates and labor leaders stand united against a trailer bill introduced in the budget, currently being debated by lawmakers.The proposed measure, AB and SB 130, would make sweeping changes in the California Environmental Quality Act.”They’re trying to take CEQA away. It provides critical environmental protections, worker protections,” said Mason. “And we’re going to do away with it.”The trailer bill would do two things.First, it would create a new CEQA exemption for housing development, essentially skipping the environmental process to speed up construction.CEQA is a decades-old law meant to protect the environment, but often blamed for slowing housing projects.”We work with environmental justice communities. We’re wondering: how will they still be able to have a say in what happens in their neighborhoods?” said Mason.The other provision would reduce pay for construction workers.Labor leaders said that means more housing will be built on the backs of lower-wage workers.”We will agree that we don’t have enough housing in the state of California, but the lack of access to housing is also a component of poverty,” said Chris Hannan, with the State Building Construction Trades Council. “By establishing a minimum wage that could dip below the minimum wage for fast food workers, we’re not doing anything to address poverty. We need to address both.” Advocates also say deals are being made behind closed doors without public hearings.But many are voicing their concerns at the budget committee hearings and hope lawmakers are listening. “I do think there’s hope. I think we can continue to work with our partners, share these concerns, and push back on them trying to rush through this really big process,” said Mason.The California State Association of Counties supports the overhaul.”Counties are fed up with critical housing projects being held political hostage by special interests that have nothing to do with the environment,” said association president Jeff Griffiths. “The legislation will make California more affordable for families by helping to alleviate our housing crisis and, in turn, reducing homelessness.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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