FAQ

Affordable CA is a proposed ballot measure that modernizes California's outdated approval process to build essential projects faster and more affordably. The measure achieves this through seven key reforms:

• Enforceable timelines: Agencies must approve or deny project applications within 365 days. If they miss the deadline, applicants can request a public hearing or workshop, where a final decision must be made within 60 days.
• Objective Standards: Agencies must base their review on clear, written rules—like local ordinances, environmental laws or zoning standards—that were in place when the application was submitted.
• Guaranteed public input: Establishes a firm 45-day public comment period with written responses to all timely comments—ensuring public participation and accountability.
• Streamlined, smarter alternatives: Narrows the “alternatives” requirement to two: one feasible alternative project design that reduces environmental impacts, and one describing a "no project" scenario.
• Strong worker protections: Projects built under the Act must meet California’s strongest-in-the-nation labor standards, including fair pay and safe job sites.
• Tribal protections: Protects and strengthens government-to-government consultation by ensuring early tribal engagement, incorporating Tribal Traditional Knowledge, and enhancing confidentiality protections.

By streamlining the permitting process and reducing frivolous lawsuits, these reforms will ensure California is building the essential projects that are critical for our quality of life and our economy—reducing costs and helping make our state more affordable.

California’s outdated system for approving essential projects such as housing, water, clean energy, roads and health care facilities is too slow, too bureaucratic and too costly—driving up the cost of living for all families. Permitting and approval delays add an average of more than $75,000 to the cost of a new single-family home in California and billions to other essential projects—costs that fall on taxpayers and consumers. Affordable CA creates a faster, more predictable process that speeds up housing, healthcare, energy, and water projects while keeping environmental safeguards intact.

Affordable CA applies only to essential projects Californians need to lower costs, improve our quality of life and keep our economy moving. The projects eligible for streamlining under this measure include:

• Housing: New single-family homes, apartments, senior and student housing, supportive and farmworker housing, and conversion of commercial buildings for residential use.
• Public Health: Hospitals, community clinics, and medical office facilities that expand access to care.
• Clean Energy: Solar, wind, geothermal, clean hydrogen, battery storage, fuel cells, clean carbon capture, upgrades to the electric grid, transmission lines, and EV charging networks.
• Water Infrastructure: Water-quality treatment, groundwater recharge, water recycling and desalination plants, dams, stormwater capture, and other projects that deliver safe drinking water and strengthen California’s drought resilience.
• Education Facilities: K–12 schools, community colleges, public and private nonprofit colleges and universities, including CSU/UC campuses, labs, and student support facilities.
• Public Safety & Wildfire Resilience: Fire and police stations, vegetation management, undergrounding utilities, home hardening, and fuel break maintenance.
• Transportation: Road repairs, bridges, public transit expansions, bike and pedestrian safety projects, and electric vehicle infrastructure.
• Broadband & Digital Access: Fiber-optic and wireless broadband projects connecting underserved and rural communities.

No. CEQA remains fully operational. Affordable CA simply streamlines the permitting approval process and litigation timelines so environmental review is faster, fairer, and evidence-based. It maintains CEQA and California’s strong laws and regulations protecting the environment, public safety and public health.

No. Affordable CA keeps all environmental laws—CEQA, Clean Air, Clean Water, Coastal Act, Endangered Species Act, and others—fully in place. It modernizes how projects are reviewed and approved without creating any exemptions to CEQA or undermining a single environmental or public health law.

No. Local governments still decide whether to approve or deny projects. And the Act maintains California’s robust public input process, allowing local residents and local communities to formally comment on projects—comments that must be addressed as part of the CEQA process. Affordable CA just ensures decisions happen within one year, with full public comment and response requirements so communities remain part of decisions about how and where to build.

Affordable CA protects and strengthens tribal consultation by requiring early engagement with California Indian tribes before project applications are submitted, incorporating Tribal Traditional Knowledge, and enhancing confidentiality protections—all while fully respecting tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government consultation process.

Essential housing projects must meet California’s strong labor standards under AB 130, and all other essential projects must follow the state’s strong Environmental Leadership Development Project rules, which require a skilled and trained workforce.

By accelerating clean energy, clean water, and wildfire prevention projects, Affordable CA reduces pollution, strengthens water supplies, and cuts carbon emissions—helping California meet its climate and sustainability goals faster.

No. Every project must still meet all local, state, and federal standards, and local governments and state agencies still retain full authority to approve or deny projects. Affordable CA delivers accountability and transparency—not exemptions or shortcuts.

Past reforms have focused on providing narrow exemptions for select projects. Affordable CA does not exempt any projects from CEQA. Instead, the measure provides comprehensive reform—a uniform, statewide system that speeds up approvals while maintaining every environmental and labor protection.

Past attempts at comprehensive reform have failed in Sacramento. Affordable CA lets voters take action to make California more affordable by fixing a broken system that delays progress and drives up costs.