(a) The Department of Corrections shall submit to the Joint Legislative Prison Committee, the Kings County Board of Supervisors, the Corcoran City Council, and the State Public Works Board, at least 30 days prior to the acquisition of real property for a prison facility to be located in the vicinity of Corcoran in Kings County, an environmental assessment study, which shall include a discussion of impacts and mitigation measures, if necessary, for the following areas:
(1) Geology.
(2) Hydrology—groundwater.
(3) Water quality—surface waters.
(4) Plant and animal life—endangered and rare species.
(5) Air quality.
(6) Noise.
(7) Light and glare.
(8) Transportation and circulation.
(9) Utilities—gas, electricity, telephone, solid waste, sewage disposal, and drinking water.
(10) Archaeology.
(11) Energy.
(b) The factors set forth in subdivision (a) shall be assessed only as they relate to the direct impacts caused off the site as a result of the construction, operation, and maintenance of the prison facility upon completion and occupancy.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, other than Section 7003 and those provisions of the Government Code that require the approval of the State Public Works Board, the Department of Finance, or the Director of Finance for capital outlay projects, the approval of the study by the State Public Works Board is the only approval required for the acquisition of real property, planning, design, and construction of the prison facility and the operation and maintenance of the facility. The State Public Works Board shall not act on the study until it receives a recommendation from the Joint Legislative Prison Committee. Approval of the study by the State Public Works Board shall be final and binding on all parties.
(d) If the committee does not, by a majority vote of the committee membership, take any action on the study within 30 days after submittal, that inaction shall be deemed to be a recommendation of concurrence for the purposes of this section.
(e) Prior to providing a recommendation to the State Public Works Board, but within the 30-day period specified in subdivision (d), the committee shall hold a public hearing in Corcoran. Notice of the hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in, or adjacent to, Corcoran. The notice shall be at least one-quarter page in size. The Corcoran City Council and the Kings County Board of Supervisors shall be invited to participate in the hearing.
(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 931, Sec. 2. Effective September 25, 1985.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018