03/29/2024

California bill aims to make it harder for megaprojects to sidestep state environmental law

Two years ago, the Los Angeles Rams did something unheard of in California development politics: In just six weeks, the team went from unveiling plans for an 80,000-seat stadium to earning final approval from the Inglewood City Council.

The fast decision came with another bonus: Inglewood’s vote allowed the stadium to sidestep legal challenges under the state’s primary environmental law that governs development, lawsuits that could have caused years of delay in the courtroom.

“Now we can celebrate,” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said immediately after the vote as the crowd rose in jubilation.

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