Today's show focuses on one of the reasons it's so hard to build new housing in California. It's a four-letter word. CEQA. That's an acronym that stands for the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA for short. CEQA was signed in 1970 into law by then-Governor Ronald Reagan. And, in short, the law requires California’s public agencies and local governments to measure the environmental impacts of development projects -- like housing -- or other major land use decisions, and to limit or avoid those impacts when possible. Few other laws have shaped the development landscape of California so dramatically.

Today's show examines one of the most recent and most high-profile stories about CEQA and housing that garnered national attention. It's the UC Berkeley case where a neighborhood group called "Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods" successfully sued UC Berkeley's CEQA document saying the university did not adequately address environmental issues related to increasing student enrollment. A judge agreed and ordered an enrollment cap and, to comply with the judge's order, the university sent thousands of applicants letters saying the university may have to cut enrollment by about 3,050 seats because of this issue.

Joining us on the podcast to discuss the court case and the legislation that ensued  is one of the best legal minds in California, Alex DeGood of the firm Cox, Castle and Nicholson. Alex is a land use attorney who handles zoning matters, environmental compliance, and litigation. He represents real estate developers before planning commissions and city councils, advises on permits and regulations, and works with public agency staff and elected officials. Alex has litigated land use cases on behalf of developers and property owners, negotiated settlements in environmental matters, and structured complex land use entitlement projects for industrial, commercial, and educational clients.