Proposed California Ballot Initiative Seeks to Restrict Environmental Lawsuits on New Homes

A proposed California ballot initiative seeks to cut down on environmental lawsuits—often filed against new housing projects—to boost homeownership.

Construction crews work to complete a new medical facility at the University of California–Irvine in Irvine, Calif., on July 13, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A proposed ballot initiative introduced by a citizens’ group spearheaded by radio host Steve Hilton, seeks to cut down on environmental lawsuits—often filed against new housing projects—to make it easier for more Californians to buy homes.

The California Homeownership Affordability Act seeks to end “CEQA lawsuit abuse,” according to details filed Sept. 7 with the state attorney general’s office.

Housing is the foundation of the “California Dream” but has become out of reach for most residents, according to Mr. Hilton, a former FOX News host and Stanford University lecturer, who introduced the group’s proposed ballot initiative on his talk show “The Steve Hilton Show” earlier this month.

“It really is a crime the way that this housing issue has been handled,” Mr. Hilton said during the announcement. “We need something different. We need something bigger, and that’s what this is.”

The group behind the initiative—Californians for Homeownership—seeks to reduce California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuits filed by citizens and others against approved new housing projects, Mr. Hilton and his guest and co-organizer Jennifer Hernandez said on the show.  Such lawsuits, they said, are contributing to the state’s supply crisis.

Anyone in the state can file a CEQA lawsuit against any project, including housing or other infrastructure projects, after they have been approved by local and state jurisdictions. Those who file can also remain anonymous.

Signed into law by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970, CEQA has been expanded over the years to allow lawsuits that can take five or more years to resolve and are often filed to delay or stop housing projects altogether, according to Ms. Hernandez.

“Anyone who doesn’t like a project after it’s been approved can sue,” Ms. Hernandez said. “It’s mostly used to block housing in existing communities, and also used to block all kinds of things.”

A lack of housing in the state has caused home prices to skyrocket in the past few decades since California first declared a severe housing shortage in 1982.

According to a report released in August by the California Association of Realtors, only 16 percent of Californians can afford to purchase a home—the lowest since before the 2007 recession.