Prop 45 Streamlines approvals to build essential projects faster and make California more affordable

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The Problem

California's cost of living is out of control. Our outdated system for approving housing, water projects, schools and hospitals is too slow—and it's driving up the cost of living for all of us.

See real California projects delayed for years →

The Solution

Prop 45 cuts red tape and unnecessary delays so California can build the essential infrastructure we need faster, lower our cost of living and improve our quality of life.

Including:
  • Clean water infrastructure
  • Clean Energy
  • Housing
  • Roads, bridges, and transit
  • Hospitals and health care facilities
  • Schools and educational facilities
  • Wildfire prevention
  • Broadband infrastructure

What Is Prop 45?

Proposition 45, the Building an Affordable California Act, is a 2026 California ballot proposition that modernizes the state's outdated approval process for essential projects like housing, water, clean energy, roads, schools and hospitals by setting enforceable timelines for agency decisions and court challenges, while keeping California's environmental, worker and tribal protections and local control in place.

Why California Needs Prop 45

  • Prop 45 Fixes California’s Broken Approval System

    Rising housing costs, soaring electricity bills and crumbling infrastructure are making California more expensive. This video explains how Prop 45 holds government accountable and streamlines reviews of essential projects so California can build housing, electricity, roads, water systems and wildfire prevention faster and more affordably.

    Video updated:

    Read the transcript

    Housing costs rising, electricity bills skyrocketing, crumbling infrastructure cost us billions, and California's massive bureaucracy and red tape make everything more expensive. Something's got to change. Prop 45 holds government accountable and streamlines reviews of essential projects so we could build housing, electricity, roads, water systems, and wildfire prevention faster and more affordably. Join leading groups. Vote yes on 45 for a more affordable California.

  • Laurie P., Small Business Owner: Why She’s Voting Yes on Prop 45

    California is too expensive, and the state’s bureaucracy and red tape cost billions. This video explains how Prop 45 streamlines government reviews for essential projects so California can build the housing it needs, deliver more reliable electricity, expand wildfire prevention and improve roads and water systems faster and more affordably, while maintaining strong environmental protections.

    Video updated:

    Read the transcript

    Let's face it, California is just too expensive. And our state's bureaucracy and red tape cost us billions. Something's got to change. Yes on 45 streamlines government reviews for essential projects so we can finally build the housing we need, deliver more reliable electricity, expand wildfire prevention, and improve our roads and water systems faster and more affordably while maintaining strong environmental protections. Join leading groups. Vote yes on 45 for a more affordable California.

  • Crystal Y., Housing Advocate: Prop 45 and California’s Housing Costs

    Housing advocate Crystal Y. explains how bureaucracy and red tape increase average home prices by $75,000 and how Prop 45 streamlines reviews for essential projects so California can build the housing it needs to lower rents and mortgages and get working families in homes they can afford, while maintaining strong environmental protections.

    Video updated:

    Read the transcript

    Let's face it, the cost of housing is out of control. Bureaucracy and red tape increase average home prices by $75,000. Something's got to change. Yes on 45 streamlines reviews for essential projects so we can build the housing we need to lower rents and mortgages and get working families in homes they can afford, all while maintaining strong environmental protections. Please join housing advocates. Vote yes on 45 for a more affordable California.

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Prop 45 will:

Reduce the cost of living

An analysis by the Blue Sky Consulting Group estimates Prop 45 would add nearly 20,000 homes a year, or nearly 200,000 over ten years.

Accelerate the essential infrastructure California needs

Agencies must approve or deny project applications within 365 days, and courts must resolve legal challenges within 270 days.

Protect taxpayers by keeping public projects on time and on budget

The same analysis estimates $386 million a year in savings for public agencies on essential projects and $250 million a year for California ratepayers.

Create good-paying jobs and strengthen our economy

Projects built under Prop 45 must meet California's strongest-in-the-nation labor standards, including fair pay and safe job sites.

Protect local control and community input

Local governments keep full authority to approve, deny or condition projects, and Prop 45 guarantees a 45-day public comment period with written responses to all timely comments.

Protect California's strong environmental, worker and tribal cultural protections

Prop 45 does not weaken or eliminate any environmental law; CEQA remains fully in place.

Prop 45 speeds up approvals for the projects Californians rely on most:

Clean drinking water and supply projects

Hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities

Roads, bridges, transit and other transportation infrastructure

Wildfire prevention and resilience projects

Single and multi-family homes, senior and student housing

Clean energy generation, transmission and storage

Broadband and telecommunications infrastructure

Schools, classrooms and educational facilities

Download the Prop 45 Fact Sheet (PDF)

Why Californians Support Prop 45

  • “Working families and communities of color pay the highest price when essential projects like housing, clean energy, water, health care facilities, and transportation take years longer and cost millions more than they should. Prop. 45 is about accountability, not shortcuts, creating a smarter process that gets these projects built sooner while protecting civil rights and environmental safeguards, so the communities that have waited the longest finally see the investment and infrastructure they deserve.”

    Dr. Rick L. Callender

    President, NAACP California/Hawaii State Conference, CA/HI State Conference NAACP

    Read the statement
  • “Unnecessary permitting delays drive up costs and slow the delivery of critical water infrastructure Californians depend on every day. Proposition 45 modernizes the process, providing clear timelines and accountability so we can focus investing in delivering clean, reliable water without sacrificing environmental or community protections.”

    Jennifer Capitolo

    Executive Director, California Water Association

    Read the statement
  • “Every day a housing project is tied up in an unnecessary delay, families pay more in rent, more for a mortgage, or lose the chance to buy a home at all. Prop 45 gets homes built faster and more affordably, without sacrificing our world-class environmental standards and labor protections. The depth of the coalition shows that lowering housing costs isn’t a niche issue, it’s a statewide priority.”

    Jenna Abbott

    Executive Director, California Council for Affordable Housing

    Read the statement
  • “This coalition looks like California, because Prop 45 is about a problem every single Californian feels: addressing our high cost of living. Prop 45 will cut the years of unnecessary delay standing between families and the housing, clean energy and water infrastructure we need. That’s the kind of common ground California needs right now.”

    Jennifer Barrera

    President and CEO, California Chamber of Commerce

    Read the statement
  • “As Energy Secretary, I saw firsthand that we cannot build the clean energy future we need if we don’t address the gridlock that delays and blocks these vital projects… That’s why I’m proud to support Prop 45 because it takes a balanced approach to meeting California’s clean energy and affordability goals.”

    Jennifer Granholm

    Former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Governor of Michigan

    Read the statement

Who Supports Prop 45

More than 180 organizations across California support Prop 45, including affordable housing builders, hospitals and health care providers, clean energy and water groups, infrastructure and agriculture organizations, community and social justice groups, tribal nations, educators and business and taxpayer advocates. Editorial boards representing 26 California newspapers have also endorsed Prop 45.

*Partial list

See the full coalition

Every year of delay means Californians wait longer and pay more for the essential projects our communities need most.

It’s time to cut red tape, protect our environment and build projects that make life more affordable for everyone.

Join the Coalition

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