Where the City has filed a notice of determination in compliance with Section 15075 or 15094 of the CEQA Guidelines, 30 days after the posting of the notice by the County Clerk.

Where the City has prepared an exemption declaration in compliance with Section 15062 of the CEQA Guidelines, 35 days after the posting of the notice by the County Clerk.

The statute of limitation provisions found in the Government Code and CEQA shall apply.

Is the activity a "project"? If not, no environmental assessment is required.

If the activity is found to be a project, is it a discretionary project in contrast to an emergency or ministerial project? If it is an emergency or ministerial project, no environmental assessment is required.

If the activity is found to be a discretionary project, it is therefore subject to an environmental assessment.

If the activity is subject to an environmental assessment, the applicant shall file an application for an environmental assessment pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

Is the project exempted from preparation of environmental documents pursuant to the provisions of this chapter? If the project is exempted, such finding shall be embodied in an exemption declaration pursuant to Article 3 of this chapter.

If the project is not exempted, the City shall follow the procedures for an initial study contained in Section 15063 of the CEQA Guidelines.

The particular shall control the general.

Unless the context clearly indicates the contrary, the following conjunctions shall be interpreted as follows:

All references to departments, commissions, bodies, or other public agencies are to those of the City of Redondo Beach, unless otherwise indicated.

All references to public officials are to those of the City of Redondo Beach, and include designated deputies of such officials, unless otherwise indicated.

All references to days are to calendar days unless otherwise indicated. If a deadline falls on a weekend or City holiday, it shall be extended to the next working day.

Article and section headings contained in this chapter shall not be deemed to govern, limit, modify or in any way affect the scope, meaning or intent of any section hereof.

The present tense includes the future, and the future the present.

The singular number includes the plural, and the plural the singular, unless otherwise indicated.

References in the masculine and feminine genders are interchangeable.

The word "activities" and "facilities" include any part thereof.

All references to sections contained in the CEQA Guidelines or the Public Resources Code shall incorporate any future amendments to those provisions.

Have the potential to degrade the quality of the environment;

Achieve short-term to the disadvantage of long-term environmental goals;

Are individually limited but cumulatively considerable; and

Cause substantial adverse effects on human beings, either directly or indirectly. The significance of an effect of a particular project will generally be related to the following:

Conflict with adopted environmental plans and goals of the community where it is located;

Have a substantial, demonstrable negative aesthetic effect;

Substantially affect a rare or endangered species of animal or plant or the habitat of the species;

Interfere substantially with the movement of any resident or migratory fish or wildlife species;

Breach published national, state, or local standards relating to solid waste or litter control;

Substantially degrade water quality;

Contaminate a public water supply;

Substantially degrade or deplete ground water resources;

Interfere substantially with ground water recharge;

Disrupt or adversely affect a prehistoric or historic archaeological site or a property of historic or cultural significance to a community or ethnic or social group; or a paleonotological site except as a part of a scientific study;

Include substantial growth or concentration of population;

Conflict or be inconsistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3 Subdivision (b) related to a project's increase in vehicle miles traveled;

Displace a large number of people;

Encourage activities which result in the use of large amounts of fuel, water, or energy;

Use fuel, water, or energy in a wasteful manner;

Increase substantially the ambient noise levels for adjoining areas;

Cause substantial flooding, erosion or siltation;

Expose people or structures to major geologic hazards;

Extend a sewer trunk line with capacity to serve new development;

Substantially diminish habitat for fish, wildlife or plants;

Disrupt or divide the physical arrangement of an established community;

Create a potential public health hazard or involve the use, production or disposal of materials which pose a hazard to people or animal or plant populations in the area affected;

Conflict with established recreational, educational, religious or scientific uses of the area;

Violate any ambient air quality standard, contribute substantially to an existing or projected air quality violation, or expose sensitive receptors to substantial pollutant concentration;

Convert prime agricultural land to non-agricultural use or impair the agricultural productivity or prime agricultural land;

Interfere with emergency response plans or emergency evacuation plans.

The project is categorically exempt because it falls within the list of classes of projects which have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment per Article 19 of the CEQA Guidelines.

The project is statutorily exempt because it falls within the list of classes of project which have been determined to be exempt by statute per Article 18 of the CEQA Guidelines.

The project is exempt by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.

Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines which contains exceptions to several classes of categorical exemptions.

The City shall provide notice of intent to adopt a negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration in compliance with Section 15072 of the CEQA Guidelines. Such notice can be combined with any other notice otherwise required for the project. In addition to the requirements provided by the CEQA Guidelines, notice shall also include at least one of the following:

One-year time limit. The total time for the preparation and certification of an EIR shall not exceed one year. The time shall begin on the date which the application is deemed to be complete. The time limits established in this subsection may be extended for a reasonable period of time in the event compelling circumstances justify additional time or the project applicant consents to the extension, in accordance with Sections 15108 and 15109 of the CEQA Guidelines.

Responsibility for preparing the EIR. The EIR shall be prepared by the City by its own efforts or by contract to a consultant.

List of qualified consultants. A list of qualified consultants for the preparation of EIRs for the City shall be established. When the decision-making body determines that an EIR is required for a project, the City shall request proposals to prepare the document from the qualified consulting firms. The selected consultant and City shall enter into an agreement to prepare the EIR prior to the consultant commencing work. Prior to commencement of work on the EIR, the project applicant shall deposit funds with the City equal to the amount in the agreement between the City and consultant to cover the cost of preparation of the EIR.

Submittal of proposals. Proposals submitted by consultants for the preparation of an EIR shall be thoroughly evaluated and a consultant selected based on the following criteria:

Notice to State Clearinghouse. Ten copies of the NOP shall be sent to the State Clearinghouse unless otherwise specified by the State Clearinghouse or the CEQA Guidelines.

Notice to agencies. Consistent with Section 15082 of the CEQA Guidelines, the City shall send to the Office of Planning and Research and each responsible agency and trustee agency a notice pursuant to this section.

Notice to regional and municipal fixed-route transit operators. Regional and municipal fixed-route transit operators. Local fixed route bus operators who operate a bus route that passes within one mile of the project and express bus and rail transit operators who operate a route that passes within two miles of the project shall be included in the list of agencies sent the NOP pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Consistent with Public Resources Code Section 21092.4, for a project of statewide, regional, or areawide significance, the lead agency shall consult with transportation planning agencies and public agencies that have transportation facilities within their jurisdictions that could be affected by the project.

Content of notice of preparation. The notice of preparation shall contain the information as prescribed in Section 15082 of the CEQA Guidelines.

Review period. Within 30 days after receiving the notice of preparation, each responsible and trustee agency and the Office of Planning and Research shall provide the lead agency with specific detail about the scope and content of the environmental information related to the responsible or trustee agency's area of statutory responsibility that must be included in the draft EIR.

Notice to public shall also include at least one of the following.

Content of notice of availability. The notice of availability shall contain the information as prescribed in Section 15087 of the CEQA Guidelines.

Circulation of DEIR to City staff, public information counters, and elected officials. Copies of the DEIR should be transmitted to members of the advisory and decision-making bodies, the City Manager, Directors of appropriate City Departments, City project staff, the applicant, should be made available for review at public library branches within the City, and shall be available at the City Clerk's office or another City office specified in the notice. Any person wishing a personal copy of the EIR shall be charged a fee not to exceed the actual cost of reproduction.

Transmittal to County Clerk. At the time of filing the notice of determination with the County Clerk, the "certificate of fee exemption" shall be completed. Two copies of the certificate of fee exemption shall be filed with the County Clerk along with the notice of determination, or with the Office of Planning and Research pertaining to state agencies.

Project with an exemption declaration. All projects statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act shall pay no fee. All projects categorically exempt by regulations of the Secretary of Resources from the requirement to prepare an environmental document shall pay no fee.

Project with a negative declaration. All projects for which a negative declaration has been prepared pursuant to Section 21080(c) of the Public Resources Code shall pay a fee unless the project has a de minimis impact pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, in which case no fee shall be paid.

Project with an EIR. All projects for which an environmental impact report has been prepared pursuant to Section 21151 of the Public Resources Code shall pay a fee unless the project has a de minimis impact pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, in which case no fee shall be paid.

De minimis impact finding. If the City finds that, as a result of its initial study, a project involves no potential for any adverse effect, either individually or cumulatively on wildlife resources, no fee shall be paid.

"CEQA appeal" shall mean an appeal to the City Council from a non-elected decision-making body's or a non-elected decision-maker's decision approving, certifying, denying approval, or denying certification of an environmental impact report ("EIR"), a negative declaration ("ND") or mitigated negative declaration ("MND"), a determination that a project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to a statutory or categorical exemption, a subsequent or supplemental EIR, ND, or MND, addenda to a previously prepared CEQA document, master EIRs, focused EIRs, joint CEQA and NEPA documents, CEQA findings, CEQA statements of overriding considerations, or CEQA mitigation monitoring and reporting programs {collectively referenced as "CEQA documents" in this section). The appellants identified in subsections (a)(1) through (a)(3) of this section may file a CEQA appeal:

Time to file an appeal. Unless otherwise mandated by State law, an appeal of the approval or denial of a CEQA document by a non-elected decision-making body or a non-elected decision-maker shall be filed by the appellant and received by the City by 5:00 p.m. of the thirtieth (30) calendar day following the decision on the CEQA document (or the next working day if the thirtieth (30) calendar day falls on a weekend, holiday, or a day the City's offices are closed). In computing 30 calendar days, the day the non-elected City Body acts on the CEQA document shall be excluded. To appeal a CEQA exemption certification, the appeal shall be filed by the appellant and received by the City by 5:00 p.m. of the tenth (10th) calendar day following the decision on the CEQA document (or the next working day if the tenth (10th) calendar day falls on a weekend, holiday, or a day the City's offices are closed). In computing 10 calendar days, the day the non-elected City Body acts on the CEQA document shall be excluded.

For purposes of determining whether a CEQA appeal has been timely filed, the appeal will be deemed filed on the date upon which the City Clerk has received the individual's or group's appeal by email, letter or other form of written communication.

The City Clerk must notify the appellant upon receipt of any complete and timely appeal, or else what portion of the appeal is incomplete or if the appeal is untimely. If a filed appeal is deemed incomplete. The City Clerk shall notify the appellant of the reasons for the determination of incompleteness. The appellant shall have four calendar days to resubmit after notification. The time to cure the application applies notwithstanding the expiration of the appeal period. An appeal resubmitted within the foregoing cure period shall be deemed timely. The City Council shall have the sole power to resolve disputes over the completeness or validity of an appeal.

Filing fee. The appellant shall pay a filing fee as set by resolution or ordinance, if any, to the office of the City Clerk, which shall be paid within five calendar days of the City Clerk notifying the appellant of the completeness and timely filing of the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the appellant(s) is (are) to be refunded their filing fee within 60 days.

Place to file. The CEQA appeal and supporting documents must be filed with the office of the City Clerk. Hard copy or electronic submission is acceptable to meet this requirement. Electronic submission must be emailed directly to the City Clerk. Upon receipt of a CEQA appeal electronically, the City Clerk shall acknowledge receipt via response email to the appellant or appellants.

Content requirements for a CEQA appeal. All CEQA appeals shall be in writing and shall contain the following information:

Hearing. Before the City Council acts on the CEQA appeal, a hearing on the matter shall be held in a timely fashion but in no event sooner than 60 days following the decision on the CEQA document. However, such a hearing may be continued from time to time upon consent of the project applicant whose project is subject to the CEQA appeal. City Council shall conduct a de nova review of the decision on the CEQA document. The City Clerk shall set and notice the hearing on appeal.

Notice of hearing on a CEQA appeal.

Appellant's time to file additional documentation. Any additional documents submitted by the appellant, including, but not limited to, presentations, must be transmitted to the City Clerk for inclusion in the public record by 5:00 p.m. on the calendar day immediately prior to the appeal hearing.

City staff presentations and supporting documents offered to the City Council for consideration during the appeal hearing shall be published at the time the agenda is posted for the appeal hearing and on the City website linked to the agenda item for the appeal hearing. The appellant(s) shall be notified of documents.

Appellant's may update appeal at any time to add more supporting documents or grounds and issues for the CEQA appeal until 15 days prior to the appeal hearing.

Preemption of other appeal procedures. The appeal procedures of this section preempt all other appeal procedures in this Code for the purposes of a CEQA appeal. This includes, but is not limited to, the appeal procedures contained in Title 1, Chapter 4, and Section 2-9.712 of Title 2, Chapter 9, Article 7.

Concurrent appeals. "Concurrent appeal" is defined as an appeal not based upon compliance with CEQA, but related to the same project. Such appeals may include, but are not limited to, the appeal of a Conditional Use Permit, the appeal of Planning Commission Design Review, or the appeal of other land use entitlements. Where the appellant has filed a concurrent appeal, the City Council shall consider the appeals concurrently at the same public hearing. An appeal pursuant to this section challenging a decision approving or denying a CEQA document, shall not constitute an appeal for any other actions taken by the non-elected decision-making body or the non-elected decision-maker unless:

Effect of a CEQA appeal. The filing of a CEQA appeal will stay the effect of all of the following until the City Council renders a decision on the CEQA appeal: (1) the CEQA document; (2) any project approval made pursuant to the CEQA document; (3) any notice of determination; and (4) Section 10-3.104 of Title 10, Chapter 3, Article 1. This subsection is only applicable to the party that was specifically named as the appellant in the appeal specified in subsection (e)(2} of this section. This subsection shall not apply to any third party who has not filed their own CEQA appeal.