Ascent Experts Discuss the Implications of California’s 2025–26 Budget Trailer Bills
As part of California’s 2025–26 budget package, Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131 introduced significant amendments to CEQA, California Planning and Zoning Law, the California Building Code, and other related statutes. These trailer bills have far-reaching implications for local governments and practitioners working on housing development, climate action planning, infrastructure projects, and wildfire resilience efforts.
On October 28, Ascent’s Erik de Kok, AICP (Director of Interdisciplinary Planning), Chad Beckstrom, AICP (Principal), and Greta Brownlow, PhD (Northern California Environmental Practice Leader) joined Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP (Executive Director of Planning and Building Agency, City of Santa Ana) for a CivicWell webinar examining the key CEQA-related legislative reforms.
A recording of the webinar is now available. The presentation and panel discussion cover the following topics:
- Key provisions of AB 130 and SB 131 and how they amend CEQA and related laws
- Exemptions for infill housing and other specific types of projects
- Implications for VMT mitigation strategies
- Streamlining for projects that narrowly miss qualifying for CEQA exemptions (“near miss”)
- Housing element rezoning implementation exemption
- Practical considerations for local government practitioners
The reforms present both opportunities to streamline and accelerate progress on critical community priorities and implementation challenges that local governments will need to navigate.
For questions about how these CEQA reforms may affect your projects or jurisdiction, reach out to any of our presenters.
