Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators passed a major reform of the California Environmental Quality Act on Monday. The new laws remove a key point of leverage for project opponents that has been embedded for more than a half-century in California's development regime.

California lawmakers have rolled back portions of a landmark state environment law to make it easier to build new housing in urban areas.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers scaled back a law that was vilified for its role in California’s housing shortage and homelessness crisis.