Jerry Brown: time to loosen CEQA, landmark environmental law

Gov. Jerry Brown, who was a fierce defender of the California Environmental Quality Act when it was passed 43 years ago, is now calling it “the Lord’s work” to loosen the law. His position: that CEQA has been commandeered by NIMBYs and others who want to slow, if not halt, all development. Two new CEQA reform bills were introduced in the Legislature yesterday. One environmental advocate says its another example of Brown’s policy opportunism and tells the Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli, “Remember, he was also for redevelopment before he was against it, too.”