California Environmental Quality Act: housing projects.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes a procedure by which a person may seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA. This bill would require the Judicial Council, by July 1, 2019, to adopt a rule of court establishing procedures applicable to actions or proceedings seeking judicial review pursuant to CEQA of a lead agency's action, as specified, for a housing project. The bill would prohibit the court, in an action or proceeding brought alleging a violation of CEQA, from staying or enjoining the siting, construction, or operation of a housing project, except as provided.