School facilities: design-build projects.

Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2025, a school district governing board to enter into a design-build contract, as defined, in which factors in addition to price and cost may be considered in awarding a contract for the design and construction of a school facility that exceeds $1,000,000. 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. This bill would specify that a certain school district entering into a design-build contract for projects that are subject to a project labor agreement retains the discretion to take specified actions related to the contract. The bill would require the contract to contain specified terms and conditions. The bill would prohibit a design-build entity or its subcontractor performing work on a project for a school district from engaging in any activity under the design-build contract beyond the design phase of the contract unless the school district issues certain notices, including a notice to proceed with the construction. The bill would, for purposes of procuring or awarding a design-build contract for a project, deem a school district to have complied with CEQA if the school district retains the discretion to take those specified actions and the contract contains those required terms and conditions. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles Unified School District.