FAQ

Prop 45 is a proposed ballot measure that modernizes California’s outdated approval process to build essential projects faster and more affordably.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 ten 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 for Agencies: 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.
• Judicial Shot Clock: Courts must fully resolve legal challenges within 270 days.
• Fix What’s Broken: If one part of an environmental review document is rejected, only that section must be fixed—allowing the rest of the project to move forward on schedule.
• Objective Standards for Courts: Courts may only overturn project approvals if agencies ignore clear, written rules—like zoning or environmental standards—that were in place when the application was submitted.
• Evidence-Based Review: Courts must uphold a project’s approval if the agency’s decision was supported by substantial evidence.
• Strong Worker Protections: Projects built under Prop 45 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 cost of living is out of control because we’re failing to deliver the basics. Our outdated system for approving essential projects—including housing, water systems, clean energy, roads, schools, and hospitals—is too slow, too bureaucratic, and too costly. Delays drive up costs, and those costs are passed on to renters, homebuyers, people paying electricity and water bills, and taxpayers. Delays also mean higher wildfire risk, more traffic congestion, overcrowded schools, aging hospitals, and slower progress toward California’s climate goals. Prop 45 reforms this outdated system so California can build faster and lower costs.

Prop 45 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 are:

• 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.

Lengthy delays force Californians to wait longer and pay more for needed housing, energy, water, and other essential infrastructure. For example, permitting delays add more than $75,000 to the cost of a new home and billions to the cost of hospitals, water systems, roads, bridges, and clean energy projects. Those higher costs are ultimately paid by renters, homebuyers, utility customers, and taxpayers. By creating enforceable timelines, streamlining approvals, and reducing frivolous lawsuits, Prop 45 helps build essential projects faster and more affordably.

No. Prop 45 does not weaken or eliminate any environmental law. It simply modernizes the process—setting clear timelines, preventing frivolous lawsuits, and ensuring reviews are faster, more transparent, and focused on results. California can build the clean energy, housing, and infrastructure projects we need without sacrificing our air, water, or natural resources.

No. Local governments keep full authority to approve, deny or condition projects in their communities. Prop 45 simply ensures those decisions are made within one year—not after years of delay. Prop 45 preserves public participation through a 45-day public comment period and written responses to all timely comments. Communities continue to decide what gets built, where it gets built, and under what conditions—with a faster, fairer, and more accountable process.

Prop 45 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.

Every essential project must meet California’s strongest labor standards—including fair pay, safe working conditions, and skilled-and-trained workforce requirements. Essential housing projects must meet California’s strong labor standards under AB 130, and all other essential projects must comply with ELDP-level labor requirements.

No. CEQA remains fully in place under the measure. Prop 45 simply streamlines how CEQA is applied to essential projects by setting clear timelines, enforceable rules to provide predictability and accountability, and establishing a faster, evidence-based process for litigation. The measure ensures CEQA works as it was intended—to protect the environment, not to block progress on essential projects.

Prop 45 accelerates the very projects that will help California protect the environment and fight climate change. By cutting red tape for clean energy, water, and wildfire prevention, it reduces pollution, protects water supplies, and lowers carbon emissions. It helps California build a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future—faster.

No. Prop 45 applies only to essential projects and keeps in place every existing protection for California’s most sensitive and protected lands. Every project must meet local zoning, land-use, and public review requirements. Prop 45 simply ensures those reviews happen on a clear, predictable schedule—delivering accountability and transparency, not exemptions or shortcuts—so California can build responsibly and affordably.

Past reforms have focused on providing narrow exemptions for select projects. Prop 45 does not exempt any projects from CEQA. Instead, it provides comprehensive reform—a uniform, statewide system that speeds up approvals while maintaining every environmental and labor protection.

For decades, efforts to modernize California’s outdated permitting system have stalled while housing, healthcare, electricity, and infrastructure costs continued to rise. Prop 45 gives voters the opportunity to take a truly comprehensive approach—streamlining approvals for essential projects Californians need while maintaining California’s strong environmental and labor protections.

No. Data centers are not eligible for streamlining under Prop 45. The measure applies only to a defined list of essential infrastructure projects, including housing, water infrastructure, healthcare facilities, schools, transportation, public safety, clean energy, and broadband infrastructure.