We chatted with Edgar Ramirez Manriquez, Chair of the North Park Planning Committee and an environmental planner who analyzes the impacts of public projects. Edgar grew up in Calexico in the Imperial Valley, where he saw firsthand how industry affects the air and water on both sides of the border. That experience shaped his career and is the reason he cares so much about how California reviews big projects.
He explains CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act), in plain language. From there, we talk about Prop 45. Its supporters call it the “Building an Affordable California Act,” and it would require even the most complex environmental reviews to be finished within one year. 😬 Edgar shares how that deadline could lead to cut corners, how broadly the measure defines “essential projects”, and why it could lock in today’s rules so that future protections wouldn’t apply to projects that are already approved.
Follow Edgar on Instagram to learn more!
Takeaways
CEQA is a disclosure law, and Prop 45 would set a one-year deadline on environmental review no matter how complex the project is
The measure’s definition of “essential projects” covers far more than housing
Go to your local planning group, host a prop party, or just talk to your neighbors! Every little bit makes a difference.
