Its original intent was to “inform government decisionmakers and the public about the potential environmental effects of proposed activities and to prevent significant, avoidable environmental damage.” At that time, it was the first legislation of its kind in the nation, if not the world. The California Environmental Quality Act, universally known by its serendipitously phonetic acronym “SEE-kwa,” was passed by the state legislature in 1971. We are publishing the entire series in toto. It is written in response to hearings conducted over the past three months by the California’s Little Hoover Commission. The following was a three part series on the impact of the California Environmental Quality Act on development in California and ways to potentially improve the law.