Coastal resources: coastal development permit: exemption: Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement and monitoring mechanisms for the exemption.

Coastal Resources: Exemption for Rail Corridor Emergency Projects

This bill allows public agencies to work on repairing and maintaining railroad tracks along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor without needing a coastal development permit during emergencies.

What This Bill Does

• Expands an existing exemption for emergency projects from requiring a coastal development permit to include railroad track maintenance and repair in the rail corridor.
• Defines certain local emergency declarations as emergencies under the Coastal Act, allowing quicker action on rail repairs.
• States that this special rule is needed specifically for the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public agencies responsible for maintaining and repairing railroad tracks along the rail corridor.
• The California Coastal Commission, which oversees coastal development permits.
• Local governments that have been given authority to issue these permits.

Terms To Know

Coastal Development Permit

A permit required by law for any development in the coastal zone of California.

Emergency Projects

Projects that are necessary to maintain, repair, or restore existing infrastructure during emergencies.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what qualifies as an emergency for railroad track repairs.
• It is unclear how this exemption will be enforced and monitored by the California Coastal Commission.
• The bill only applies to the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.

Official Summary Text

SB 741, as amended, Blakespear.
Coastal resources: coastal development permit:
local emergency declaration.
exemption: Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.
The California Coastal Act of 1976, which is administered by the California Coastal Commission, requires any person wishing to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone, as defined, to obtain a coastal development permit from a local government or the commission. Existing law exempts from that coastal development permitting process certain emergency projects undertaken, carried out, or approved by a public agency to maintain, repair, or restore existing highways, as provided.
This bill would expand that exemption to include certain emergency projects undertaken, carried out, or approved by a public agency to maintain, repair, or restore existing railroad track along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor, as provided.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.
Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976, establishes the California Coastal Commission and provides for planning and regulation of development in the coastal zone, as defined. The act requires the commission to provide, by regulation, for the issuance of coastal development permits by the executive director of the commission or, where the development permit authority has been delegated to a local government, by an appropriate local official designated by resolution of the local government without compliance with the procedures prescribed in the act in cases of emergency, except as provided, and for certain nonemergency developments, as described.
This bill would include as an emergency, for purposes of the latter provision, a local emergency declaration by a municipality, county, or special district.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF