Bill Commons

CA SB 231

dead

California Environmental Quality Act: the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: technical advisory.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did CA SB 231 pass?

No. CA SB 231 did not pass — it was defeated or died in the legislative process (2026-02-02). Latest recorded action (2026-02-02): Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

What is CA SB 231 about?

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. Under existing law, the recommendation, continuous evaluation, and execution of statewide environmental goals, policies, and plans are included within the scope of the executive functions of the Governor. Existing law establishes the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation in the Governor's office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governor's cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency. This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to consult with regional, local, state, and federal agencies to develop a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects on the environment to assist local agencies. The bill would require the technical advisory to provide suggested thresholds of significance for all areas of the state, as specified, and would provide that lead agencies may elect to adopt these suggested thresholds of significance. The bill would also require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to post the technical advisory on its internet website.

Who sponsors CA SB 231?

Seyarto is the primary sponsor of CA SB 231, joined by 7 cosponsors.

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. Under existing law, the recommendation, continuous evaluation, and execution of statewide environmental goals, policies, and plans are included within the scope of the executive functions of the Governor. Existing law establishes the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation in the Governor's office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governor's cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency. This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to consult with regional, local, state, and federal agencies to develop a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects on the environment to assist local agencies. The bill would require the technical advisory to provide suggested thresholds of significance for all areas of the state, as specified, and would provide that lead agencies may elect to adopt these suggested thresholds of significance. The bill would also require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to post the technical advisory on its internet website.

Introduced
2025-01-28
Latest action
2026-02-02 — Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Seyartoauthor
  • Choicoauthor
  • Niellocoauthor
  • Ochoa Boghcoauthor
  • Valladarescoauthor
  • Alaniscoauthor
  • Chencoauthor
  • Lackeycoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-01-28

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    introduction,reading-1,referral-committee

  2. 2025-01-29

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 28.

  3. 2025-02-05

    Referred to Com. on E.Q.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-07

    Set for hearing March 19.

  5. 2025-03-19

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 421.) (March 19).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  6. 2025-03-20

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  7. 2025-03-28

    Set for hearing April 7.

  8. 2025-04-07

    April 7 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  9. 2025-05-16

    Set for hearing May 23.

  10. 2025-05-23

    May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  11. 2026-02-02

    Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

    failure

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-03-19 · pass · 8-0

    Member-level votes (8)
    • Padilla: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Dahle: yes

  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-04-07 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Dahle: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB231

Attribution

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

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