Current California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) bills in the State Legislature

This information is via the CEQA Works Coalition. Below is information on all CEQA bills currently moving forward in the State Legislature.

2018 CEQA Bills:

AB 2341 (Mathis)- his bill would specify that, except as provided, the aesthetic effects of projects meeting certain requirements are not significant effects on the environment for purposes of CEQA and that the lead agency is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of those projects.

AB 2267 (Wood) – This bill would exempt from the requirements of CEQA a proposed residential housing project to replace or reconstruct wildfire-damaged housing that may increase the density of residential units by up to 50% and that is located in an area in which a wildfire-related state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor, provided the proposed project meets specified requirements. Because a lead agency would be required to determine the applicability of this exemption for a project, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

AB 1901 (Obernolte) – CEQA, until January 1, 2020, exempts a project or an activity to repair, maintain, or make minor alterations to an existing roadway, as defined, if the project or activity is carried out by a city or county with a population of less than 100,000 persons to improve public safety and meets other specified  requirements, including a requirement that the project involves negligible or no expansion of an existing use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination. This bill would extend the exemption  to January 1, 2023, and would revise the requirement to specify that the exemption applies if, among other things, the project involves negligible or no expansion of an existing vehicular use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination.

AB 2649 (Arambula) – The California Constitution requires that the water resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable and that the waste or unreasonable use or unreasonable method of use of water be prevented. Under existing law, the right to water or to the use of water is limited to that amount of water that may be reasonably required for the beneficial use to be served. Existing law provides for the reversion of water rights to which a person is entitled when the person fails to beneficially use the water for a period of 5 years. Existing law provides that the storing of water underground, including the diversion of streams and the flowing of water on lands necessary to the accomplishment of the storage, constitutes a beneficial use of water if the stored water is thereafter applied to the beneficial purposes for which the appropriation for storage was made. This bill would instead provide that the diversion of water to underground storage constitutes a diversion of water for beneficial use for which an appropriation may be made if the diverted water is put to beneficial use, as specified.

AB 2782 (Friedman) – This bill would authorize lead agencies, in describing and evaluating projects, to consider the positive economic, legal, social, technological, or other benefits of, and the negative impacts of denying, the project.

AB 3030 (Caballero) – This bill would exempt a project that is financed by a qualified opportunity fund and that meets certain requirements from CEQA. The bill would require a lead agency, before making a determination that the project is exempt from CEQA, to hold a noticed public hearing on the project, as specified. The bill would require the lead agency, if it determines that a project is exempt from CEQA under the above exemption and determines to approve or carry out the project, to file a specified notice with the Office of Planning and Research. Because a lead agency would have to determine the applicability of the exemption, to take certain specified action before determining that a project is exempt, and to file a notice with the Office of Planning and Research, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.