BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       


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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 2814|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 2814
          Author:   Simitian (D)
          Amended:  8/9/04 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ENV. QUALITY COMMITTEE  :  4-1, 6/14/04
          AYES:  Sher, Chesbro, Figueroa, Kuehl
          NOES:  McPherson
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Romero, Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  48-27, 5/24/04 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    California Environmental Quality Act

           SOURCE  :     Planning and Conservation League


           DIGEST  :    This bill makes a clarifying amendment to  
          provision of the California Environmental Quality Act  
          (CEQA) related to real parties in interest.

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 8/9/04 revise a provision of the  
          bill so that it is the same as current law.  Under current  
          law, a plaintiff in certain CEQA matters must name, as a  
          real party in interest, "any recipient of" an approval that  
          is the subject of an action.  This bill clarified that  
          "each person that has applied for and received" an approval  
          must be named, rather than "any recipient of" an approval.   
          Due to concerns by certain interests, the amendments  
          provide that "any recipient" of an approval must be named,  
          which is the same as current law.

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                                                               AB 2814
                                                                Page  
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           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law, under the California Environmental Quality  
          Act (CEQA):

          1. Requires a petitioner or plaintiff to name, as a real  
             party in interest, "any recipient of an approval" that  
             is the subject of an action or proceeding brought  
             pursuant to certain provisions of CEQA, and must serve  
             the petition or complaint on that real party in interest  
             no later than 20 business days following service of the  
             petition or complaint on the public agency.

          2. Requires the public agency to provide the petitioner or  
             plaintiff with a list of responsible agencies, or any  
             agency having jurisdiction over a natural resource  
             affected by the project, no later than 10 business days  
             following service of the petition or complaint on the  
             public agency.

          3. Provides that failure to name potential parties, other  
             than those described above (#1 and #2), is not grounds  
             for dismissal.

          This bill provides that failure to name potential parties,  
          other than those real parties in interest described in #1  
          above, is not grounds for dismissal.

           Background  .  SB 1393 (Kuehl), Chapter 1121, Statutes of  
          2002, made various revisions to CEQA, including  
          requirements for naming a real party in interest, serving  
          the petition or complaint, and providing certain agencies  
          with notice of the action or proceeding.  This provision  
          also provides that failure to name potential parties, other  
          than those specified (i.e., recipient of approval, certain  
          agencies) is not grounds for dismissal.

          This bill provides that failure to name potential parties,  
          other than the person that has applied for and received an  
          approval, is not grounds for dismissal.  Therefore, the  
          matter may not be dismissed for failure to name responsible  
          agencies, as well as any public agency having jurisdiction  
          over a natural resource affected by the project. 








                                                               AB 2814
                                                                Page  
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           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/9/04)

          Planning and Conservation League (source)


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Berg, Bermudez, Calderon, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez,  
            Chu, Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Diaz, Dutra, Dymally,  
            Firebaugh, Frommer, Hancock, Harman, Jerome Horton,  
            Jackson, Kehoe, Koretz, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber, Liu,  
            Longville, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Matthews, Montanez,  
            Mullin, Nakano, Negrete McLeod, Parra, Pavley, Reyes,  
            Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Salinas, Simitian, Steinberg,  
            Vargas, Wesson, Wiggins, Wolk, Yee, Nunez
          NOES:  Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Bogh, Campbell, Cogdill,  
            Cox, Daucher, Dutton, Garcia, Haynes, Houston, Keene, La  
            Malfa, La Suer, Leslie, Maze, McCarthy, Mountjoy,  
            Nakanishi, Pacheco, Plescia, Runner, Samuelian, Spitzer,  
            Strickland, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Goldberg, Shirley Horton, Maddox,  
            Nation, Oropeza


          CP:mel  8/10/04   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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