NBLC Active Advocacy:
Support AB 697 (Wilson). Keep State Route (SR) 37 Improvements Moving!
NBLC has been a supporter of improvements to State Route (SR) 37 for many years. We are very dependent on having this highway available to connect the North Bay to the East Bay, as SR37 is an essential artery for our employees to commute, for goods movement and public safety. SR 37 is a vital North Bay transportation corridor, but is plagued with heavy congestion, bisects the ecologically rich San Pablo Baylands, and is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We support all measures to keep improvement projects moving forward without substantial and costly delays. This includes the passage of AB 697.
State, local and regional partners are coordinating on an integrated approach to address SR 37’s complex challenges – implementing near term Sears Point to Mare Island mobility and ecological restoration improvements that address quality of life issues for North Bay residents and businesses and improve habitat while advancing a long-term vision of an elevated causeway that is resilient to sea level rise.
The Sears Point to Mare Island project pairs mobility improvements – eliminating a 10-mile bottleneck by converting the existing road to a high occupancy vehicle lane, adding a new tolled lane and introducing transit service to the corridor – with projects that improve 1,200 acres of San Pablo Baylands habitat. This transportation–restoration partnership is not the only innovative component of this project; the mobility improvements utilize carpool and transit incentives to help eliminate 2 million vehicle miles traveled annually throughout the Bay Area while saving Solano County-to-Marin County commuters more than two full weeks per year. This time savings is also important for the North Bay’s agricultural economy and goods movement – SR 37 carries a quarter of all freight through the North Bay.
AB 697 would authorize SR 37 projects to secure permits for “incidental take” of the four fully protected species (FPS) in the corridor, so long as any species impacts are fully mitigated, among other provisions. This means SR 37 construction may occur even during FPS sensitive periods (e.g. mating and nesting seasons). The Sears Point to Mare Island project is a prime candidate for this approach, since the project itself facilitates habitat restoration.
Absent this legislation, the near-term SR-37 project will delay the long-term benefits of habitat restoration envisioned in the project, it will take substantially longer to complete, will not result in a longer-term solution being built any earlier, and will continue the unacceptable and inequitable conditions that commuters of Solano County who work in Marin and Sonoma counties now endure.
If this bill does not pass, the near-term SR-37 project will take substantially longer to complete. This bill is crucial to the success of the short term project which is THE PRIORITY.
Support SB 79 (Wiener). Keep Reforms Happening!
This message was reported by CA YIMBY: NBLC supported bill SB 79, “which makes it easier to build housing near transit stations, faced a tough challenge in the Senate Housing Committee. SB 79 passed 6-2, without a vote to spare. We made it through the first hurdle, and we want to make sure SB 79 passes its next hurdle in the Senate? Take two minutes to call your Senator and urge them to support this crucial bill!”
Call your Senator now and let them know that this bill is important to you. Here’s a sample script:
“Hi, my name is [NAME], and I live in Senator [NAME]’s district. I’m calling to express my strong support for Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 79. This bill will make our communities more climate-resilient and prevent displacement. Don’t force more Californians out of their hometowns. Please support SB 79. Thank you.”
Support AB 609 (WICKS). California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): Infill Housing Exemption
California’s housing shortage is exacerbated by CEQA’s redundant review process. While regional plans, housing elements, and local zoning laws must already comply with CEQA, most individual housing projects- even those fully aligned with local zoning and objective standards—must still undergo the same review. Some projects qualify for exemptions, but these are often too subjective or include costly labor standards making housing financially infeasible.
While CEQA effectively prevents negative environmental impacts, it is not designed to facilitate projects that are inherently beneficial to the environment. Infill housing near jobs, schools, and amenities—proven to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions—faces the same regulatory hurdles as sprawl developments that increase pollution and congestion.
AB 609 removes this roadblock by exempting environmentally friendly housing projects from CEQA, provided they are in infill locations and not on environmentally sensitive or hazardous sites. These projects must still comply with local general plans, zoning ordinances, and objective standards—all of which have already undergone CEQA review. Assembly Bill 609, if passed, will exempt environmentally friendly housing projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), making California more affordable and resilient to climate change.