A last-minute California state budget bill (AB/SB 131) could weaken the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a key law that protects birds, wildlife, and communities from harmful development. The bill may include exemptions for sprawl, manufacturing, industrial facilities, fire management that includes removing mature trees, and other activities for certain development projects, without safeguards for habitat or biodiversity, and no environmental review or opportunity for public input. If passed, it could lead to significant habitat loss and harm to sensitive ecosystems that birds and wildlife depend on including areas that support endangered, threatened, or special-status species.
The Audubon Society including our local San Fernando Valley Audubon Society is particularly concerned about the potential impact to bird and other wildlife habitat across the state. The bill which will be debated soon was just published on June 27, 2025 (SB 131). As the bill is currently drafted, it could allow the removal of mature trees and the loss of sensitive ecosystems without triggering CEQA, making it more difficult to ensure birds, wildlife, and communities are considered in land use decisions. CEQA has served as a guardrail to protect our environment, it should not be weakened by a last minute budget-bill trailer.
If you have capacity in the next 24 hours, we encourage you to contact California legislative leadership, especially members of the State Senate, and urge them to oppose any provisions that would exempt the loss of bird and wildlife habitat from environmental review. Constituents who are specifically represented by Senator Menjivar are especially encouraged to reach out to this representative. Those who are not represented by them should still reach out to their own reps. To find your local representatives, you can enter your address on this CA government webpage: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Here is a sample phone/email script:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City] and a member of [Audubon Chapter Name].
I’m calling to express concern about the trailer bill AB/SB 131 currently being negotiated as part of the state budget.
As currently drafted, the bill could weaken CEQA protections and allow certain development projects, like those that remove mature trees or impact sensitive ecosystems, to proceed without environmental review. I’m especially concerned about the loss of habitat for birds and other wildlife, including endangered and special-status species.
Here are links to social media posts from Audubon California regarding this dangerous proposed legislation.