Assembly Bill 543 (Campos) was heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. The legislation was strongly opposed by RCRC and other local agencies. AB 543 would have required a lead agency to translate specified CEQA notices and summaries of any negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or environmental impact report when a community of non-English speakers comprises at least 25 percent of the residents in that area.
The author has agreed to delete the contents of the bill as drafted. The legislation would instead require the Office of Planning and Research to develop and transmit to the Secretary of Natural Resources recommended changes to the guidelines establishing criteria for a lead agency to assess the need for translating notices required into non-English languages for projects considered pursuant to CEQA, as well as requirements for posting these notices in non-English languages. The recommended changes are due by July 1, 2016. The coalition will remove opposition to the bill once the amendments appear in print.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Legislative Advocate Kathy Mannion at (916) 447-4806 or kmannion@rcrcnet.org.