Revisions to CEQA ease requirements for infill housing but do not affect projects in unbuilt areas, such as the River Islands development in Lathrop (San Joaquin County).

When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed revisions to the California Environmental Quality Act into law on Monday to expedite new housing, he and the YIMBY movement reacted as if they had just won a major war.

“To the NIMBY movement that’s now being replaced by the YIMBY movement: go YIMBYs,” the governor said at a press conference.

But the CEQA war isn’t over yet — and major battles over law’s purpose and role still lie ahead.

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To be sure, for housing advocates, this week’s reforms are extremely significant: It will be a lot easier for developers to get housing approved. Two budget trailer bills (AB130 and SB131) made significant changes to CEQA. One major reform was to exempt all “infill” housing from environmental review — housing that is located in built-up areas. Another reform exempted certain types of projects, including childcare centers and some manufacturing facilities.

But in a way, these reforms are just more examples of what’s come to be known as “Swiss-cheese CEQA”: The state........

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