Why Newsom chose a sun-baked hillside west of Patterson to push his infrastructure plan

John Holland
·2 min read
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A large solar project west of Patterson provided the backdrop for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for faster building of green infrastructure.

Friday’s visit highlighted complaints about the California Environmental Quality Act, signed in 1970 by Gov. Ronald Reagan. It was intended to protect people from pollution and other ills, but critics say it is being used to block worthwhile projects.

Newsom proposed several bills that would streamline court reviews and other parts of CEQA. And he signed an executive order calling on state agencies to look for other possible steps.

“It’s simple,” Newsom said. “It’s about saving time and saving money and addressing bureaucratic malaise.”

The Proxima Solar Farm project is on about 1,600 acres of hilly grazing land that buffer the Fink Road landfill. The lease was approved by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.

The panels will generate up to 210 megawatts of power, equal to the demand by about 60,000 homes. The output will go to some of Microsoft Corp.’s needs, as well as municipal utilities in San Francisco, Sonoma and the Los Angeles area.

NextEra Energy Resources, based in Florida, is building the nearly $500 million system. It could be ready by next spring, including batteries that store power for use when the sun is not shining.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, middle, tours a battery storage facility at the Proxima Solar Farm under construction outside Patterson, Calif., Friday, May 19, 2023. Newsom on Friday signed an executive order laying the groundwork for a bold plan to expedite major transportation, water, clean energy and other infrastructure projects across California.

The construction employs about 300 people from several unions. About 75 of them flanked the podium as Newsom and others spoke.

The project has provided union members with good pay and benefits, said Joshua Lepper of Modesto, business agent for Laborers Local 1330. And he said they do not mind working on hot days like Friday.

“We like playing in the dirt,” he said. “We do it for a living. We’re professionals.”

Newsom asked state lawmakers to simplify local permitting for projects and to shorten the time for lawsuits by opponents. He also wants agencies to do faster hiring of design and construction firms for state projects.

“I hear all the time, ‘Why is it taking so long?’ ” Newsom said.

He was joined on the visit by Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly speaker and Los Angeles mayor. He is now overseeing the state’s infrastructure spending.

“We’re treating climate change as the emergency that it is,” Villaraigosa said, “and this effort to accelerate these projects is the key to that.”

California infrastructure advisor Antonio Villaraigosa, middle left, and others listen to Joshua Lepper from the Laborers Local 1330, during a visit by Gov. Gavin Newsom at the Proxima Solar Farm under construction outside Patterson, Calif., Friday, May 19, 2023.
California infrastructure advisor Antonio Villaraigosa, middle left, and others listen to Joshua Lepper from the Laborers Local 1330, during a visit by Gov. Gavin Newsom at the Proxima Solar Farm under construction outside Patterson, Calif., Friday, May 19, 2023.