California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: streamlining.

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Padilla
Last action: 2025-07-15
Official status: July 14 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation overgeneralized the geographic and project scope, which has been corrected.

Streamlining Environmental Projects in San Diego

The bill provides special rules to speed up the process for certain environmental projects near the water in San Diego's Central Embarcadero Planning District.

What This Bill Does

Provides additional streamlining benefits to Waterfront Environmental Leadership Development Projects (WELDPs) that are certified by the Governor and located on more than 50 acres of land and water within the Central Embarcadero Planning District of San Diego.
Requires the California Coastal Commission to provide specific and substantive comments or objections for certain documents within 60 days.
Allows the commission to charge fees if they need to cover costs from reviewing these special projects.

Who It Names or Affects

People and companies working on Waterfront Environmental Leadership Development Projects (WELDPs) in San Diego's Central Embarcadero Planning District.
Local government agencies that review and approve these projects.

Terms To Know

Waterfront Environmental Leadership Development Project (WELDP): Special environmental projects near the water in San Diego's Central Embarcadero Planning District that are certified by the Governor for streamlining benefits under CEQA.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): A law that requires a lead agency to prepare an environmental impact report or negative declaration on projects that may have significant effects on the environment.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill only applies to Waterfront Environmental Leadership Development Projects in San Diego's Central Embarcadero Planning District.
It is unclear how much faster these projects will actually be approved compared to regular processes.

Bill History

2025-07-15 California Legislative Information
July 14 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-07-07 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
2025-06-16 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
2025-06-05 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1515.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1209.) (May 23).
2025-05-20 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-19 California Legislative Information
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-09 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-01 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-30 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 969.) (April 30).
2025-04-25 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 30.
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
April 28 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 28.
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on RLS. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 867.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-04-02 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-03-20 California Legislative Information
April 2 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-03-11 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 2.
2025-03-05 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-02-24 California Legislative Information
Read first time.
2025-02-24 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.
2025-02-21 California Legislative Information
Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 675, as amended, Padilla.
California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: streamlining.
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.
The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 authorizes the Governor, until January 1, 2032, to certify
environmental leadership development projects that meet specified requirements for certain streamlining benefits related to CEQA.
This bill would provide additional streamlining benefits to Waterfront Environmental Leadership Development Projects (WELDPs), as defined, that, among other specified conditions, are certified by the Governor and located on more than 50 acres of land and water within the Central Embarcadero Planning District of the San Diego Unified Port District within the County of San Diego. The bill would provide that the streamlining benefits include a requirement that the California Coastal Commission provide specific and substantive comments or objections for certain documents within 60 days, as provided. The bill would require a lead agency or applicant to, within 30 days after the certification of the environmental impact report by the lead agency, file required application forms and materials for a port master plan amendment with the commission.
The bill would authorize the commission, if a certain condition is met, to charge a fee to an applicant for the reasonable costs incurred by the commission for processing documents for review or the application of the WELDP. By placing new duties on local agencies related to the streamlining benefits, 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 urban waterfront in the County of San Diego.
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.

Current Bill Text

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