Amended in Assembly June 24, 2013

Amended in Senate May 28, 2013

Amended in Senate May 6, 2013

Amended in Senate April 3, 2013

Senate Bill No. 811

Introduced by Senator Lara

February 22, 2013

An act to add Section 103.1 to the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 811, as amended, Lara. State Highway Route 710.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law imposes various requirements for the development and implementation of transportation projects.

This bill would impose various additional requirements on the department, or on another agency, if that agency agrees to assume responsibility as the lead agency with respect to the I-710 expansion project in the County of Los Angeles from State Highway Route 60 in East Los Angeles to Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. The bill would require the lead agency, in consultation with all interested community organizations, to begin delete consider end delete begin insert include end insert , within the environmental review process for the project, alternatives to address the air quality, public health, and mobility impacts the project will have on neighboring communities begin insert , including, in its entirety, Community Alternative 7, as defined, as a complete project alternative end insert . The bill would require the final environmental document approved by the lead agency to include an investment in identified mitigation measures begin insert and community benefits end insert for the affected communities and the Los Angeles River. The bill would require the lead agency to submit a report in that regard to the Legislature at least 90 days prior to approving the final environmental document for the project begin insert , and would require the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and the Assembly Committee on Transportation to hold a public joint hearing on the proposed end insert begin insert final environmental document at least 60 days prior to approval of the final environmental document end insert . The bill would make legislative findings and declarations.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 103.1 is added to the Streets and
Highways Code, to read:

103.1.  

(a) As used in this section, the following terms have
the following meanings:

(1) “I-710 expansion project” means the proposed program of
improvements to the State Highway Route 710 Corridor in the
County of Los Angeles within the State Highway Route 710
Corridor project study area, which extends from State Highway
Route 60 in East Los Angeles to Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach.
The I-710 expansion project does not include any extension of
State Highway Route 710 through South Pasadena from State
Highway Route 10 to State Highway Route 210.

begin insert

(2) “Community Alternative 7” means an alternative
infrastructure plan developed by a coalition of community partners,
and submitted for consideration to the I-710 expansion project’s
lead agency in response to the first draft environmental review
document. Community Alternative 7 includes mitigation measures
and community benefits to address existing and future public health
concerns for the affected area.

end insert begin delete

(2)

end delete

begin insert (3) end insert  “Lead agency” means the department, unless another agency
agrees to assume responsibility as the lead agency for the I-710
expansion project under the California Environmental Quality Act
(Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public
Resources Code), in which case “lead agency” means that other
agency.

begin delete

(3)

end delete

begin insert (4) end insert  “Los Angeles River” or “river” means the Los Angeles River
within the State Highway Route 710 Corridor project study area,
including the adjacent tributaries of Compton Creek and Rio
Hondo.

begin insert

(5) “Project committee” means the committee facilitated by the
project’s lead agency as a part of the I-710 expansion project
community participation framework, and is comprised of elected
officials from I-710 expansion project corridor communities and
funding partner representatives who make recommendations to
the funding partners and the department on key assumptions and
decisions in the environmental review process. The funding
partners include the department, the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Gateway Cities Council
of Governments, the Southern California Association of
Governments, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the
Interstate 5 Joint Powers Authority.

end insert

(b) The Legislature finds and declares begin delete that the end delete begin insert all of the
following: end insert

begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert proposed I-710 expansion project is a project of national
significance that is intended to expand capacity on State Highway
Route 710 in the County of Los Angeles to accommodate the
movement of freight from and to the ports of Los Angeles and
Long Beach, thereby providing economic benefits in the region
and beyond. However, the I-710 expansion project, as proposed,
will have adverse public health, air quality, and quality-of-life
impacts on residents residing near the corridor from East Los
Angeles to Long Beach.

begin insert

(2) The proposed I-710 expansion project is a “goods
movement” project that should be aligned with the principles laid
out in the 2007 Goods Movement Action Plan, prepared by the
California Environmental Protection Agency and the Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency. These principles require that
the project be developed in a way that provides improvements to
the communities housing the project. For the I-710 expansion
project, these improvements include all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(A)  River improvements including those that contribute to
revitalization of the river and green, active space along the river.

end insert begin insert

(B) Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; public transit
infrastructure and operations.

end insert begin insert

(C) Targeted hiring and job training related to the construction
and operation of the project.

end insert begin insert

(D) Improvements to conditions at sensitive sites, such as
schools, homes, and elderly care facilities.

end insert begin insert

(3) The proposed I-710 expansion project is a transportation
project that should be aligned with the goals of Assembly Bill 32
(Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006) and Senate Bill 375 (Chapter 728,
Statutes of 2008) of reducing greenhouse gases by reducing vehicle
miles traveled and increasing public transit use and active
transportation.

end insert begin insert

(4) Community Alternative 7 includes these principles, goals,
and improvements. On January 31, 2013, the project committee
for the proposed I-710 expansion project voted to recommend that
the lead agency consider Community Alternative 7 in its entirety
in the draft environmental review document for the project.

end insert

(c) The lead agency, in consultation with all interested
community organizations, shall begin delete consider end delete begin insert include end insert , within the
environmental review process, alternatives to address the air
quality, public health, and mobility impacts the I-710 expansion
project will have on neighboring communities begin insert , and shall identify
measures to improve conditions presently affecting the communities
surrounding the existing Route 710 freeway. One of these
alternatives shall be Community Alternative 7, considered in its
entirety, as a complete project alternative end insert .

(d) The final environmental document approved by the lead
agency for the I-710 expansion project shall include an investment
in identified mitigation measures begin insert and community benefits end insert for the
affected communities and the Los Angeles River.

(e) At least 90 days prior to approving the final environmental
document for the I-710 expansion project, the lead agency shall
submit a report to the Legislature describing the identified
mitigation measures begin insert and community benefits end insert that will be included
in the project and providing evidence of meeting the requirements
of this section. The report shall be submitted pursuant to Section
9795 of the Government Code.

begin insert

(f) At least 60 days prior to approval by the lead agency of the
final environmental document for the I-710 expansion project, the
Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and the
Assembly Committee on Transportation shall hold a public joint
hearing on the proposed final environmental document.

end insert