BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 811
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Date of Hearing: August 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Wesley Chesbro, Chair
SB 811 (Lara) - As Amended: August 5, 2013
SENATE VOTE : 28-10
SUBJECT : State Highway Route 710
SUMMARY : Imposes specific requirements on the environmental
review and approval of the Interstate 710 (I-710) corridor
project.
EXISTING LAW , the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
requires lead agencies with the principal responsibility for
carrying out or approving a proposed project to prepare a
negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or
environmental impact report (EIR) for this action, unless the
project is exempt from CEQA. Generally, an EIR must accurately
describe the proposed project, identify and analyze each
significant environmental impact expected to result from the
proposed project, identify mitigation measures to reduce those
impacts to the extent feasible, and evaluate a range of
reasonable alternatives to the proposed project.
THIS BILL :
1)Defines key terms, including:
a) "I-710 corridor project" to mean the proposed program of
improvements to I-710 in Los Angeles County between State
Route 60 in East Los Angeles and Ocean Boulevard in Long
Beach;
b) "Community Alternative 7" to mean an alternative
infrastructure plan developed by a coalition of community
partners, submitted for consideration to the lead agency
(i.e., the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans)) in response to the first draft environmental
review document, and voted on by the I-710 project
committee to be included in the recirculated draft
environmental document; and,
c) "Lead agency" to mean Caltrans, unless another agency
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assumes responsibility for the project.
2)Makes legislative findings and declarations that:
a) The proposed I-710 corridor project is a project of
national significance that is intended to expand capacity
to accommodate freight movement to and from the Ports of
Los Angeles and Long Beach.
b) The proposed project may have adverse public health, air
quality, and quality-of-life impacts on nearby residents.
c) The proposed project should be aligned with the
principles laid out in the 2007 Goods Movement Action Plan,
which highlights the importance of goods movement projects
that provide local communities with benefits and
improvements. Identifies specific community improvements
that the proposed project may include, such as:
i) River improvements that contribute to the
revitalization of the Los Angeles River and active space
along the river;
ii) Bike and pedestrian infrastructure;
iii) Public transit infrastructure and operations;
iv) Targeted hiring and job training; and,
v) Improvement to conditions at sensitive sites like
schools, homes, elderly care facilities, and homeless
care facilities.
d) The proposed project should be consistent with the
state's policy goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
reducing vehicle miles traveled and increasing public
transit use and active transportation.
3)Requires Caltrans, as the lead agency, to consider, within the
environmental review process, alternatives to address the air
quality, public health, and mobility impacts that the project
could have on neighboring communities.
4)Specifically requires that "Community Alternative 7," in its
entirety, be studied in the environmental review as a complete
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project alternative.
5)Requires the approved environmental review document to include
an investment in identified mitigation measures where there
are impacts to affected communities and the Los Angeles River.
6)At least 90 days prior to approving the environmental document
for the proposed project requires the lead agency to submit to
the Legislature a report that describes the identified
mitigation measures and community benefits that will be
included in the project.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, minor costs to Caltrans to report to the Legislature
on the identified mitigation measures to be included in the
I-710 expansion project (State Highway Account). Potential
increased mitigation costs related to LA River (State Highway
Account).
COMMENTS :
1)Background. An environmental review is currently underway to
study the I-710 corridor project. I-710, also known as the
Long Beach Freeway, is a vital transportation artery in
southern California, linking the Ports of Long Beach and Los
Angeles to southern California and beyond. An indispensable
component of the regional, statewide, and national
transportation system, I-710 serves both passenger and goods
movement traffic that travels from the ports to inland
railroad facilities. The existing I-710 corridor has
excessive health risks related to high levels of diesel
particulate emissions, traffic congestion, high truck volumes,
high accident rates, and many obsolete design features.
The objectives of the I-710 corridor project environmental
review are to develop transportation alternatives that will:
1) Improve air quality and public health;
2) Improve mobility, congestion, and safety; and,
3) Assess alternative, green goods movement technologies.
The I-710 corridor project study area extends for 18 miles
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from the waterfront ports to the Pomona Freeway and
encompasses 15 cities and unincorporated areas adjacent to the
freeway. The project is in the early stages of the
environmental review process. A first draft of the
environmental review document was released last year. After
significant public input, Caltrans is working on a second
draft, to be released sometime next year. It is unknown when
construction on the project might begin.
In May 2013, the I-710 project committee, an advisory body
comprised of elected officials from the I-710 corridor project
communities and the project's funding partners, voted to
include "Community Alternative 7" in the recirculated draft
environmental document. "Community Alternative 7" is
supported by health and community advocates as a package of
solutions that, taken together, could meet the project's
objectives as well as have positive community benefits to
communities along the corridor. This bill would ensure the
commitment to study "Community Alternative 7" is fulfilled by
requiring Caltrans to include a study of this alternative in
its environmental review.
1)Author's statement :
The proposed I-710 widening project will have adverse
public health, air quality, and quality of life impacts on
residents throughout the corridor - from East Los Angeles
to Long Beach. Among the residents impacted are some of
the state's most vulnerable communities including children,
seniors, and low-income families. The health impacts to
communities within the project area are especially
important to consider. Mortality rates from diabetes,
motor vehicle crashes, coronary heart disease, and
emphysema are higher in I-710 corridor communities when
compared to the rest of LA County. Residents in I-710
corridor communities while more likely to deal with
aforementioned health issues, due to their proximity to the
freeway, are unfortunately less likely to have health
insurance coverage than others in LA County.
As proposed, this would be one of the largest public works
project in the nation. Costs are estimated to be between
3-5 billion dollars for proposed construction options.
While the estimated cost of this project is extraordinary,
this widening is supposed to tremendously raise the state's
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economy by doubling the amount of goods we are able to
import. As such, it is imperative that the planning and
implementation process be inclusive of all impacted
stakeholders, specifically residents adjacent to the
project area.
Although community members and organizations have attempted
to include mitigation measures as part of this project at a
local level, there is no guarantee that their input will be
included in the project proposal. Some of the attempts at
the local level have included strong attendance to Metro's
public hearings, and creation of several local project
committees that provided both analysis of the draft EIR and
necessary suggestions for community mitigation measures.
Impacted communities are low-income and without strong
advocacy capacity, this measure would ensure their concerns
are thoroughly considered and that a vote by the I-710
Project Corridor to analyze the community's alternative
build option, Community Alternative 7, in the re-drafted
EIR is fulfilled.
Currently, there is no guarantee that after all the
participation and investment of communities surrounding the
corridor in the local process that their concerns will
fully considered in the re-circulated draft EIR. SB 811 is
the community's last chance to ensure the local
participation process is completed. This bill will make
certain the concern, comments and ideas vetted through the
project advisory boards including: councilmembers,
community members and technical planners are actually
considered as possible build options in the new EIR
document, as that is one of the goals of having a public
participation process.
2)Double referral. This bill was approved by the Assembly
Transportation Committee by a vote of 12-4 on August 12. The
following amendments were agreed to in the Transportation
Committee to require the lead agency's report to be submitted
to the I-710 project committee rather than the Legislature:
On Page 5, at line 3, strike "Legislature" and replace it
with "project committee".
On page 5, line 6, strike, "The report shall be submitted
pursuant to Section" and strike line 7.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Lung Association in California
Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council
California Environmental Justice Alliance
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
City of Bell
City of Commerce
City of Huntington Park
Coalition for Clean Air
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Health Councils
Building Healthy Communities, Long Beach
East Los Angeles Community Corporation
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice
End Oil / Communities for Clean Ports
Environmental Defense Fund
Gage Middle School
Greater Pasadena Jews for Justice
Green Education
Housing Long Beach
InnerCity Struggle
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma
Long Beach Grows
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Planning and Conservation League
Regional Asthma Management and Prevention
Ruckus Society
Sierra Club California
Steven Neal, Councilmember 9th District, City of Long Beach
Trust for Public Land
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Lawrence Lingbloom / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
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