Editor,
In his recent column, Dan Walters falsely declares that the California Environmental Quality Act blocks affordable housing. His argument relies on inflammatory rhetoric rather than established fact. He ignores empirical studies by reputable authorities — The Housing Workshop, UC Berkeley Law, and Association of Environmental Professionals — finding CEQA is not a major impediment to housing.
Walters discusses a case in Livermore, twisting the facts to criticize CEQA. The lawsuit’s plaintiffs sought to halt an affordable housing project, alleging it conflicted with the city’s downtown plans and challenging the city’s use of a CEQA exemption. The court easily dismissed these arguments, ruling the project was exempt from CEQA.
So, Walters got it exactly backwards: The Livermore case demonstrates CEQA’s affordable housing exemptions are working as designed. With its strong set of categorical exemptions, CEQA allows affordable housing to be built, while adhering to its purpose of protecting public health and the environment.
Rick Longinotti
Santa Cruz
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