Source: The Press-Enterprise
When Moreno Valley approved the 40.6-million square-foot World Logistics Center project two years ago, Assemblyman Jose Medina watched from the sidelines.
But he grew concerned when — barely a month after a split city council approved the project — developer Highland Fairview bankrolled three ballot initiatives aimed at thwarting legal challenges to the project’s environmental review.
Through a loophole in state law, projects approved by initiative were able to circumvent the state law requiring environmental review of its impacts, Medina, D-Riverside, said. A bill he introduced in February that passed the state Legislature this week would no longer allow developers to bypass environmental review, he said.