Proposition 45: Bad for Birds
By Whitney Grover and Jeff Manker.
Golden Gate Bird Alliance is asking you to vote NO on Proposition 45 this November. Last month we wrote about the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and how it protects birds and their habitat. But what is Prop 45 and how will it change the CEQA process?
What will Prop 45 Do?
In a nutshell, if Proposition 45 passes, it will substantially weaken the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by expediting environmental review for certain project types, allowing exemptions from the review process, and setting shorter deadlines to complete environmental review and resolve lawsuits challenging project approvals. The project types that would be eligible for expedited review are all over the map, way beyond housing, including freeways, foresting thinning, energy, water projects, and more.
When agencies and the public are not given sufficient time to review projects, environmental impacts will be missed. When the public comment periods are shortened that means less time for GGBA or you as a citizen to understand the environmental impacts and advocate for mitigations that make a difference.
As if this proposition wasn’t bad enough, it would also change the current CEQA process for tribal engagement. Current law requires consultation with a wide range of California Native tribes, but Prop 45 would limit consultation to tribes with federal recognition. None of the Ohlone tribes in the Bay Area are federally recognized.
California has already made recent changes to CEQA through the legislature. AB130 and SB131 exempt or streamline urban infill and other housing, medical clinics, day care centers and even advanced manufacturing facilities – all without sacrificing our open spaces and agricultural lands. Because these changes for infill housing have already been made, Prop 45 will only encourage suburban sprawl.
So who wants this?
This proposition is supported by data center and warehouse developers, for-profit utilities, oil companies, and the California Republican Party. It’s clear the proposition is about benefitting wealthy developers, padding their pockets while we the people and the environment we care about pays the price.
Who is with us in opposing Prop 45? Over 500 organizations representing environmental groups, public health groups, civil rights and environmental justice organizations, labor unions, and yes, even housing advocates.
Don’t fall for it
Prop 45 is a trap. We don’t need it, and it will give us less input, less choice, more risk of getting things wrong, with no way to back out. Prop 45 will dramatically reduce the scope of CEQA, and according to the ballot analysis, will cost taxpayers as much as $100 million per year.
We do not want to go back to a world where we first polluted and destroyed wildlife habitat, clean air, and clean water, and then tried to deal with it later. We deserve to know the environmental impacts of a project BEFORE it is built.
Whitney Grover is the Director of Conservation for Golden Gate Bird Alliance. She participated in the 2019 Master Birder class and is a co-founder of the SF Bay chapter of the Feminist Bird Club.
Jeff Manker is a Golden Gate Bird Alliance Board Member and member of the East Bay Conservation Committee and Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge Committee. He spent 32 years as a classroom educator where he helped students discover a passion for ornithology and the world of nature.