On July 25, RCRC submitted a coalition letter urging the Legislature to “fix” a newly-created California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for day care centers and strongly requests elected officials and local organizations to sign on to a follow-up coalition letter.
The recently enacted Senate Bill 131 (Budget and Fiscal Review) created a new CEQA exemption for day care centers; however, that relief does not apply to day care centers located in a residential area. Most facilities are (and should be) located in residential areas to avoid traffic, vehicle miles traveled, and environmental exposures associated with locating facilities in industrial, commercial, or agricultural areas.
While CEQA is commendably intended to improve decision-making and mitigate a project’s significant impacts on the environment, it has sometimes been exploited for non-environmental purposes. Unfortunately, CEQA was recently used to try and derail a daycare facility in Napa with tremendous financial consequences for the operator (including the loss of a pre-approved Small Business Administration (SBA) loan). Worse yet, the litigation jeopardized a project focused on the development and enrichment of young children.
A San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed penned by Napa County Supervisors Anne Cottrell and Liz Alessio on LPE and their struggle here and a letter from the operator detailing their experiences can be found here.
Given the tremendous need for daycare facilities throughout the state, the demonstrated need for CEQA relief, and considering the impact those facilities have on children, families, and local economies, RCRC and a dozen other organizations and elected officials have urged the Legislature to resolve this issue in the final weeks of the Legislative session.
RCRC respectfully requests elected officials and local organizations sign on to a slightly updated coalition letter, which can be found here. If you would like to be added to the letter, please send an e-mail with the official or organization’s name, title, e-mail address, logo, and electronic signature (if available) to RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, John Kennedy by 5:00pm Thursday, August 7th.