Developers in California have discovered California's time-worn ballot initiative process as sound business idea. By avoiding planning commissions and city councils, these developers have made the cold business calculation that it's worth spending a few million dollars on political campaigns, including glitzy brochures and slick cable TV ads as a way to avoid pesky environmental reviews such as CEQA. That's right: in California, voter-approved initiatives can bypass the entire planning process which is meant to protect communities and the general public. They can create hundreds of millions of dollars in property value to the developer while creating traffic and other negative impacts for residents.
With hard-sell tactics which would put time-share hucksters to shame, paid signature gatherers spread half-truths to place developer-sponsored projects on the ballot. It's a clear loophole in our state's initiative process, and it's a loophole which should be ended by the state's legislators.
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