California 2023-2024 Regular Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 4 R · 1 D cosponsors

AB 356 — California Environmental Quality Act: aesthetic impacts.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 116, Statutes of 2023.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 31, 2023. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic) on July 27, 2023.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 98% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 8 sponsors

    1 primary, 7 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (4 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 5 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

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. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, specifies that, except as provided, a lead agency is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of a project and aesthetic effects are not considered significant effects on the environment if the project involves the refurbishment, conversion, repurposing, or replacement of an existing building that meets certain requirements. This bill would extend the operation of the above provision to January 1, 2029. The bill would require the lead agency to file a notice with the Office of Planning and Research and the county clerk of the county in which the project is located if the lead agency determines that it is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of a project and determines to approve or carry out that project. By imposing additional duties on lead agencies, the bill would impose 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 116, Statutes of 2023.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

  4. In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

  5. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2036.).

  6. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  7. From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

  8. In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  9. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. Referred to Com. on E.Q.

  11. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  12. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1461.)

  13. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  14. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 26).

  15. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  16. Read second time and amended.

  17. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 10).

  18. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  19. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

  20. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended.

  21. Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

  22. From printer. May be heard in committee March 3.

  23. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 114 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Mathis

Co-sponsors (7)

Not signed on (114)

114 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 114 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Consent Calendar AB356 Mathis et al.

Passed 37 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 9002
Democratic 22000
Republican 6001
Total 37003
% of votes cast 93%0%0%8%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Roth — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Newman — Yea
Min — Yea
Wilk — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Glazer — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Portantino — Not Voting
Dodd — Not Voting
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Ashby, Angelique V. Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Blakespear, Catherine S. Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Menjivar, Caroline Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Rubio, Susan Democratic Yea
Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wahab, Aisha Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Alvarado-Gil, Marie Republican Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Niello, Roger W. Republican Yea
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Yea
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 5000
Republican 1000
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 7000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Skinner — Yea
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Menjivar, Caroline Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea

Official roll call →

AB 356 Mathis Consent Calendar Second Day

Passed 75 Yea · 0 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 44003
Republican 11002
Unaffiliated 20000
Total 75005
% of votes cast 94%0%0%6%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Holden — Yea
Mathis — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Villapudua — Yea
Ting — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Low — Yea
Wood — Yea
Essayli — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Jim Patterson — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Vince Fong — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Addis, Dawn Democratic Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Alvarez, David Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bains, Jasmeet Democratic Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Bennett, Steve Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Connolly, Damon Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Yea
Haney, Matt Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Lee, Alex Democratic Yea
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
McKinnor, Tina Democratic Not Voting
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Not Voting
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea
Ortega, Liz Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Papan, Diane Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rubio, Blanca E. Democratic Yea
Schiavo, Pilar Democratic Yea
Soria, Esmeralda Democratic Yea
Valencia, Avelino Democratic Yea
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Not Voting
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Alanis, Juan Republican Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Not Voting
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea
Patterson, Joe Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Yea
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Wallis, Greg Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

Passed 16 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 10000
Unaffiliated 3000
Republican 3000
Total 16000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (16)
Member Party Vote
Mathis — Yea
Holden — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
Papan, Diane Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 11 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4000
Republican 2000
Democratic 5000
Total 11000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
Wood — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Mathis — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Addis, Dawn Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

environment
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 356 do?
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. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, specifies that, except as provided, a lead agency is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of a project and aesthetic effects are not considered significant effects on the environment if the project involves the refurbishment, conversion, repurposing, or replacement of an existing building that meets certain requirements. This bill would extend the operation of the above provision to January 1, 2029. The bill would require the lead agency to file a notice with the Office of Planning and Research and the county clerk of the county in which the project is located if the lead agency determines that it is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of a project and determines to approve or carry out that project. By imposing additional duties on lead agencies, the bill would impose 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.
Who sponsors AB 356?
AB 356 is sponsored by Mathis, Dixon, Diane (Republican), Flora, Heath (Republican), McCarty, Ting, Wallis, Greg (Republican), Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie (Republican), and Wiener, Scott D. (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 356?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 31, 2023. Enacted.
Where can I track AB 356?
Track AB 356 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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