California's environmental impact regulations, among the toughest in the nation, have long been cited by developers as a primary impediment to the construction of new housing in the Golden State.

In particular, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), often is cited when legal challenges are mounted against housing projects. But a new law may signal a tipping point: in at least one case, the urgent need for new housing has trumped an environmental concern.

A bill passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month appears to have nullified legal challenges to UC Berkeley's controversial plan to build student housing on a site that includes the counter-culture landmark known as the People's Park since 1968.