SB 789: California Environmental Quality Act: sports and entertainment project.

(1)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 establishes administrative procedures for the review and certification of the EIR for a project and judicial review procedures for any action or proceeding brought to challenge the lead agencys decision to certify the EIR or to grant project approvals.

This bill would establish specified administrative and judicial review procedures for the administrative and judicial review of the EIR and approvals granted for a project related to the development of a specified sports and entertainment project in the City of Inglewood. Because the lead agency would be required to use these alternative procedures for administrative review of the EIR if the project applicant so chooses, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would exempt from the requirements of CEQA a guideway project intended for development with the specified sports and entertainment project. Because a lead agency would be required to determine the applicability of this exemption, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would specify that certain impacts shall not be considered as having significant environmental impacts if certain conditions are met.

(2)This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Inglewood.

(3)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.