Talking "tough"---and dumb---on CEQA

Photo: Jungho Kim

Letter to the editor in today's SF Chronicle:

Regarding “Gavin Newsom is talking tough on CEQA. Let’s see some action” (Editorial, March 2): 

The court decision that delayed a Berkeley housing project because of student noise concerns has led to frantic calls to overhaul California’s bedrock environmental law. 

But before lawmakers start watering down protections that have served the state so well for decades, let’s examine the People’s Park case more closely.

For those who believe that noise from new residents shouldn’t be used to delay an otherwise quality housing project, there’s a solution and it’s found within the California Environmental Quality Act.

UC Berkeley could have resolved the issue before any lawsuit was filed by more thoroughly responding to and addressing community concerns during the administrative process. If the university believed the project’s benefits outweighed any noise impacts, it could also have filed what’s called a "statement of overriding considerations."

UC Berkeley did neither. CEQA has built-in release valves, but lead agencies need to use them wisely and show that their decisions are backed by evidence.

CEQA isn’t broken. It’s a strong environmental review law that offers exemptions for affordable housing and other quality projects. 

Dismantling CEQA as a knee-jerk reaction to a single avoidable ruling will have unintended consequences that harm communities across California.

Aruna Prabhala

San Francisco

Rob's comment:

The Chronicle has always been dumb on CEQA. See Chronicle editorial: Flab-gab and misinformation in 2010.