CaliforniaCalifornia Environmental Quality Act: essential local fire station projects: infrastructure project streamlining.
What it does
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.
More detail
Existing law authorizes the Governor to certify projects meeting certain requirements as infrastructure projects and provide those certified projects with certain streamlining benefits, including requiring the lead agency to prepare the record of proceedings concurrently with the environmental review process and requiring the resolution of an action or proceeding challenging the certification of an EIR for certified projects or the granting of any project approvals, to the extent feasible, within 270 days of the filing of the record of proceedings with the court, as specified. Existing law requires the lead agency, within 10 days of the certification of an infrastructure project, to provide a public notice of the certification, as provided. If a lead agency fails to approve a project certified as an infrastructure project before January 1, 2033, existing law specifies that the certification is no longer valid. Existing law requires the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to make evidence and materials submitted for the certification of a project available to the public on its internet website at least 15 days before the certification of the project.
This bill would also authorize the Governor to certify an essential local fire station project for streamlining as an infrastructure project if the Governor ensures that the project meets specified requirements, including, among others, that the applicant agrees to pay the costs of the trial court and the court of appeal in hearing and deciding any case challenging a lead agency's action on the project, and the applicant agrees to pay the costs of preparing the record of proceedings for the project, as specified. The bill would require a project to meet specified requirements to be eligible for certification as an essential local fire station project, including, among other things, (1) that the project is being undertaken by a city, county, city and county, or local fire agency, as provided, (2) that the project is not located on specified sensitive or hazardous sites, as described, and (3) that the project will employ best practices to avoid or mitigate significant environmental effects, as provided. The bill would require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, for an essential local fire station project, to provide the Governor's office with evidence and materials to support consideration of the application no later than 45 days after the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation posts the evidence and materials submitted for certification on its internet website.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 29Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 767, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 29Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 10Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 31
- Vote recorded AB 2152 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 30Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 1. Page 6917.).Major
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB2152 Mark González et al. By Pérez. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 30In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Aug 30Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).Passed Senate
- Aug 28Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 27Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 24Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 21Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 13From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 10In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 3From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Jul 29In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- Jul 1From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 30
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 24From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 10Referred to Coms. on E.Q. and JUD.Minor
- May 28In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Vote recorded AB 2152 Mark González Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 27Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 1. Page 5478.)Passed Assembly
- May 19Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 18Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- May 14From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 14).Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Lower
- May 6In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Apr 23From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 16Re-referred to Com. on E.M.Minor
- Apr 15Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 14From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E.M. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 13).Major
- Apr 13
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Emergency Management]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 9Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and E.M.Minor
- Feb 19From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.
- Feb 18Read first time. To print.Introduced