CA AB 1139

enacted

California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: public access: nonmotorized recreation.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts from its requirements a change in use approved by a lead agency that is a park district or the Great Redwood Trail Agency to allow public access to preexisting paved and natural surface roads, preexisting trails, preexisting pathways, preexisting disturbed areas for vehicle parking, as specified, and rail lines converted by the Great Redwood Trail Agency into trails known as the Great Redwood Trail, in areas used exclusively for nonmotorized recreation, if certain conditions are met, including that the change in use is consistent with a plan adopted by the park district or the Great Redwood Trail Agency, as applicable, and does not involve a physical alteration of the affected area. Existing law requires, before making a determination to approve or carry out a change in use that is determined to be exempt from CEQA, the lead agency to, among other things, make a finding that the above-described criteria are met. Existing law requires the lead agency, if the lead agency determines that a change in use is not subject to CEQA pursuant to this exemption and determines to approve or carry out the activity, to file a notice with the State Clearinghouse in the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and with the county clerk of the county in which the land is located, as provided. This bill would extend the above exemption to a lead agency that is a county park agency. The bill would remove the condition that the change in use is consistent with a plan adopted by the park district or the Great Redwood Trail Agency, as applicable, and would instead require the lead agency, before making the exemption determination, to adopt a natural resource management plan, or equivalent document, that includes appropriate identification of resources and management strategies for the affected area, as specified. The bill would instead require, as a condition of this exemption, that the change in use only involves minimal physical alterations and minimal improvements to the affected area, as specified. The bill would require the lead agency to make an additional finding that there is sufficient funding to implement the natural resource management plan, or equivalent document, and would require the finding, as well as the finding that the above-described criteria are met, to be based on substantial evidence. The bill would provide that its provisions do not apply where it is reasonably foreseeable that the provision of public access within a park or open space area will have a significant or cumulatively considerable effect on the environment. By imposing duties on public agencies related to the exemption, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Introduced: 2025-04-08
Status date: —
Latest action: 2025-10-06 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 391, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2025-02-20
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-02-21
From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
2025-03-10
Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and W. P., & W.
referral-committee
2025-04-08
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on W. P., & W. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 7).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-04-09
Read second time and amended.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-04-10
Re-referred to Com. on W. P., & W.
referral-committee
2025-04-30
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-05-14
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-15
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-23
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 70. Noes 0. Page 1656.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-23
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-06-04
Referred to Coms. on E.Q. and N.R. & W.
referral-committee
2025-06-18
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-07-03
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on N.R. & W. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 2).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-07-07
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-16
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-08-19
From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.
committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-08-20
Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2025-08-25
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2251.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-08-26
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-08-28
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 2763.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-04
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-06
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-06
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 391, Statutes of 2025.
became-law

Versions

02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
04/09/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-09Compare
07/07/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-07Compare
09/02/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-02Compare
10/06/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-06Compare
AB1139Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Water, Parks, and Wildlife]
2025-04-07 · pass · 13-0
Member-level votes (14)
- Zbur: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Flora: yes
- Haney: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Muratsuchi: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (13)
- Rogers: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Hart: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Bains: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Papan: yes
- Caloza: other
Do pass.
2025-05-14 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Fong: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Hart: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Ta: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Solache: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Arambula: yes
AB 1139 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
2025-05-23 · pass · 70-0
Member-level votes (79)
- DeMaio: yes
- Davies: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Soria: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Lee: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Solache: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Haney: yes
- Flora: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Addis: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Fong: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Berman: yes
- Ward: yes
- Hart: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Papan: yes
- Patel: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Bains: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Krell: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Ta: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Bryan: other
- Sharp-Collins: other
- Nguyen: other
- Zbur: other
- Sanchez: other
- Muratsuchi: other
- Chen: other
- Caloza: other
- Wicks: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Natural Resources and Water]
2025-07-02 · pass · 8-0
Member-level votes (8)
- Hurtado: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Menjivar: yes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2025-07-16 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Hurtado: yes
- Laird: yes
- Limón: yes
- Grove: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Stern: yes
- Allen: yes
Consent Calendar 2nd
2025-08-25 · pass · 37-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Reyes: yes
- Allen: yes
- Jones: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Niello: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Grove: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Choi: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Limón: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Becker: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Hurtado: other
- Alvarado-Gil: other
- Rubio: other
AB 1139 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-08-28 · pass · 76-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Dixon: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Krell: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Chen: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Papan: yes
- Lee: yes
- Soria: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Addis: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Hart: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Solache: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Ward: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Ta: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Bains: yes
- Flora: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Patel: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Davies: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Fong: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Haney: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Alvarez: other
- Berman: other
- Valencia: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1139

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

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