California Environmental Quality Act: Sonoma County Renewal Enterprise District.

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 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 exempts from its requirements projects undertaken, carried out, or approved by a public agency to maintain, repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in a disaster-stricken area, in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor. This bill would, until January 1, 2024, provide for streamlined judicial review for actions or proceedings brought pursuant to CEQA on the adoption or approval of amendments to the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan for the City of Santa Rosa meeting certain requirements or on the approval of residential projects that are consistent with the amended Downtown Station Area Specific Plan. This bill, until January 1, 2024, would authorize a streamlined judicial review for the adoption or amendment of a planning document by a local public agency that includes certain parcels within the portions of the City of Santa Rosa or unincorporated areas of the County of Sonoma (RED Area) for certain purposes. The bill would require a local public agency to use specified procedures for conducting the environmental review for the adoption or amendments of the RED Area plan, including the current preparation of the record of proceedings, as provided. This bill, until January 1, 2024, would exempt from the requirements of CEQA certain projects located at certain parcels owned by the City of Santa Rosa or the County of Sonoma within the City of Santa Rosa and certified by a local agency as meeting certain requirements. Because a lead agency would be required to determine the applicability of the above-specified exemptions for projects, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma. 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.