California Air Resources Board

Would have required, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the creation of an environmental impact report, negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration for any project that substantially expands or intensifies industrial activity if the project is half a mile or closer to an overburdened community. The bill would have also required, by July 1, 2027, specified CEQA notices to be translated into all languages spoken by 5% or more of the local agency jurisdiction’s population. The bill also would have set new requirements for additional notices, in-hearing translation, hearing locations, and hearing times (5pm-9pm only). The bill would have prohibited a small inaccuracy in the translation of a document from being a reason for undoing a public agency decision. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

View full bill text here

Would have required every State agency or department subject to the Governor’s authority to develop or update their strategic plan(s) to more effectively advance racial equity. Agencies and departments would have needed to inform the plan with input from historically disadvantaged and underserved communities served by the departments’ programs. The bill would have also required departments to undertake a racial equity analysis before implementing any budget or regulation start date. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Sets residential property insurance requirements for smoke damage claims on properties within a specified wildfire impact zone. Insurers must cover additional living expenses, testing, and restoration until properties are safe for human occupancy following guidance and rules set by CARB and the Department of Toxic Substances Control in AB 1642 (Harabedian). The bill also requires the Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Insurance, in consultation with departments including CARB, to submit legislative reports on regulatory limitations impacting the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire response and insurance coverage gaps exposed by the fire.

View full bill text here

Would have clarified CARB's authority to adopt regulations to reduce or mitigate emissions from indirect sources of pollution to achieve the ambient air quality standards required by the federal Clean Air Act. Was not heard on the Assembly Floor.

View full bill text here

Requires CARB, by January 1, 2029, to develop and publish online guidance on levels for indoor air contaminants following residential smoke damage from wildfire, implications for health, and possible protective measures to reduce health impacts. CARB may revise and update the guidance as new research and data becomes available. The guidance developed is exempt from the Administrative Procedures Act and the California Environmental Quality Act. The bill has other guidance and regulation requirements for the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).

View full bill text here

Would have created an Office of Civil Rights within CARB, given funding is provided from the Legislature. The bill would have required the office to provide training on civil rights obligations to board staff, grantees, contractors, and subrecipients; develop a civil rights evaluation tool; and ensure language access in public engagement processes. The bill would have also required CARB to post online a yearly summary of information about the office, including a summary of civil rights complaints received by the office and a description of compliance and enforcement efforts. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

View full bill text here

Requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CalOSHA), by January 1, 2030, to propose to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board for its consideration and possible adoption, a standard that protects the health and safety of employees who risk high or prolonged exposure to transboundary pollution, as defined, in outdoor occupational environments. The bill requires CalOSHA to consider identifying an exposure threshold for hydrogen sulfide at which acute or chronic health effects occur to reference in the standards and may consider exposure thresholds for other relevant pollutants. The bill authorizes CalOSHA to develop the standard in consultation with other specified groups, including CARB and local air districts.

View full bill text here 

Establishes a new regulatory structure for metal shredding facilities at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The bill requires that metal shredding facilities obtain a permit from DTSC to operate in the State and specifies numerous requirements and procedures for regulating the facilities. The bill requires, if an air quality health risk assessment has not been conducted, the owner or operator of the metal shredding facility to conduct an analysis of equivalent scope and depth as approved by the local air district.

View full bill text here 

Would have required the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) board to update Rule 1157 to improve air quality and increase data collection. The bill would have required permanent and temporary aggregate operations, by January 1, 2027, to install and maintain a fenceline monitoring system, maintain fencing above the height of open piles, limit open storage piles to 8 feet tall if the covered facility is within 500 feet of a sensitive receptor, and cease all activities if particulate matter of 10 microns or less (PM10) emissions reach threshold limit set by SCAQMD. The bill would have required, on and after July 1, 2027, that a covered facility with a demonstrated history of PM10 emissions at or above the threshold limit set by the SCAQMD and whose property line is within 500 feet of a sensitive receptor to fully enclose any existing open storage piles. Was amended to address health facilities.

View full bill text here 

Would have required an owner or operator of a metal shredding facility to reimburse a local air district for reasonable regulatory costs incurred by the local air district in implementing facility-wide fence-line air quality monitoring requirements. Was amended to address property transfers.

View full bill text here