California Environmental Quality Act: administrative and judicial streamlining benefits: hospital: City of Emeryville.

Senator Arreguín's proposal to streamline environmental review for a new hospital campus in Emeryville establishes specialized procedures under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to address healthcare access challenges in the San Francisco East Bay. The legislation creates a framework for expedited administrative and judicial review of an environmental leadership hospital project, provided it meets specific investment, sustainability, and workforce requirements.

The bill requires the hospital project to invest at least $1 billion in California, utilize all-electric buildings powered by carbon-free energy sources, and implement transportation management programs that reduce vehicle trips by 15 percent. Additional environmental conditions include LEED Gold certification, zero net greenhouse gas emissions, and the purchase of electric buses for local transit. The project must also generate at least 500 construction jobs with prevailing wages and employ a skilled and trained workforce.

To qualify for streamlined review, the City of Emeryville must certify the project's compliance with these conditions. The Judicial Council must establish procedures to resolve any legal challenges within 270 days. The legislation mandates concurrent preparation of administrative records with environmental review documents and requires all materials to be publicly accessible online. These provisions aim to maintain environmental protections while expediting the development process to prevent gaps in regional healthcare access as Alta Bates Summit Medical Center transitions operations to the new facility.