State highways: Hollywood Central Park: environmental quality.

Existing law gives the Department of Transportation full possession and control of the state highway system. This bill would require the department to review and approve the Hollywood Central Park project, which is a freeway cap project, as provided. The bill would require the department to grant to the City of Los Angeles encroachment permits that are necessary for the construction and operation of the project. The bill would require the department to transfer the ownership of any structure built pursuant to the project and any associated air space rights to the City of Los Angeles. The bill would impose duties on the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, regarding the review of the project by the department, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. 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 authorizes a person to bring an action or proceeding to seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA. This bill would prohibit a person from bringing an action or proceeding to seek judicial review of a public agency's action or decision made pursuant to CEQA relating to the Hollywood Central Park project. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Hollywood Central Park project. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.