The Democratic Party’s monopoly on power in California is, apparently, not as invincible as it seems. That is the only conclusion one can reach from the events in Sacramento over the past month, as Democrats have been forced to balance their ideological commitment to destructive climate policies and their desire to avoid the looming political landslide that those policies would bring.

Permitting reform

Just last week, California lawmakers approved a change to the California Environmental Quality Act. State Democrats had previously worked on a case-by-case basis to grant exemptions, as CEQA was used to hold up the construction of tens of thousands of homes, bike lanes in various cities, the high-speed rail project, gas stations, and various renewable energy projects. The new change grants blanket exemptions to water system upgrades and manufacturing facilities such as electric vehicle plants. The new reform also provides CEQA exemptions for state-approved rezoning in an effort to make it easier for localities to build more housing.