AB 2447: California Environmental Quality Act: land use: environmental justice.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA prohibits a lead agency from approving or carrying out a project for which a certified EIR identifies one or more significant effects on the environment unless the lead agency makes certain findings.

This bill would, except as provided, require a lead agency that is preparing an EIR or a negative declaration to provide certain notices required by CEQA to owners and occupants of property located within ¹/₂ mile of any parcel or parcels, and to any schools located within one mile of any parcel or parcels, on which is located a project involving an industrial or equivalent land use, as defined, within a disadvantaged community or within ¹/₂ mile of a disadvantaged community. The bill would also require the lead agency to provide those notices to those entities for a project involving the adoption of municipal regulations, zoning, or land use designations that authorize an industrial or equivalent land use within a disadvantaged community or within ¹/₂ mile of a disadvantaged community. The bill would require the lead agency to call at least one scoping meeting for those projects, as provided. The bill would require the lead agency to provide a specified notice in English and in other languages, as provided. Because the bill would impose additional duties on a lead agency, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to publish a specified map relating to disadvantaged communities no later than June 30, 2019, and to update the map, as specified.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.