California Governor Grants Fast-Track Environmental Review For Warriors' Arena

California Gov. Jerry Brown's office "quietly certified" that the Warriors planned arena in Mission Bay has "met the environmental benchmarks it needs to be exempted from open-ended legal challenges," according to Matier & Ross of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The courts now have "just 290 days to rule on any lawsuit contesting the arena’s environmental impact report, including whether it includes adequate steps to deal with parking and traffic." Mission Bay Alliance Group spokesperson Sam Singer said that opponents "welcomed the governor’s action." Singer: "It’s less expensive for the alliance, and we will have a decision sooner.” Matier & Ross note the arena is "one of just five projects in the state to be granted a fast-track review" under a state law "aimed at streamlining environmental evaluations of key construction projects." Sources said that the Warriors had been "working on their application for more than a year" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/13).