Nonpartisan business and community leaders applauded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest efforts to modernize a state environmental law long
weaponized to sabotage essential infrastructure and housing projects.

The New California Coalition (NCC), a nonpartisan civic movement that advocates for common-sense solutions to improve statewide livability, pledged to help Newsom’s proposed infrastructure plan succeed. It includes provisions limiting the duration of certain lawsuits filed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to nine months.
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“This is the type of bold leadership the NCC seeks. We’re energized to see Gov. Newsom modernizing CEQA for today’s environmental and economic realities by proposing a CEQA shot
clock for lawsuits targeting water, transportation, clean energy and semiconductor projects,” said NCC Co-Leader Jim Wunderman
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“Gov. Newsom’s proposal is a smart and timely first step to putting California at the forefront of environmental and economic innovation. CEQA modernization is necessary to maximize federal
funds so water and transportation systems can be upgraded to improve livability for everyday Californians,” said NCC Co-Leader Tracy Hernandez.

The executive order signed Friday by Newsom instructs various government agencies to break down silos and work together in creating an infrastructure strike team. Executed properly, the
infrastructure package will equip California to build vital projects faster and smarter, while creating an estimated 400,000 good-paying jobs in construction and related fields.

The state’s goal-oriented, data-driven plan was built around insights from a report released Thursday by California Forward. The study found California could deliver up to $180 billion
worth of infrastructure projects by acting now to secure unprecedented state and federal funds.

Newsom’s package has the potential to supercharge the creation of semiconductor manufacturing jobs in California with federal funding unlocked by the CHIPS and Science Act. The NCC
released a report in Dec. 2022 calling on the state to take steps to improve California’s competitiveness for federal CHIPS funding.

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