City Council

(53) 24-0114-S2 CD 14 CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION and OTHER EXEMPTIONS FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA), and COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY AND ORDINANCE FIRST CONSIDERATION relative to amending Sections 91.8904, 91.8905, and 98.0707 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) to allow the City to provide private security to secure properties that are subject to administrative abatement. Recommendations for Council action, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR: DETERMINE the following: Based on the whole of the administrative record, the draft Ordinance is not a project for purposes of CEQA. CEQA does not apply to continuing administrative activities or organizational activities of government that will not result in specific direct or indirect physical changes in the environment, or to the creation of government funding mechanisms or other governmental fiscal activities that do not commit to any specific project that may result in potentially significant environmental impacts. [Public Resources Code Section 21065; State CEQA Guidelines, Sections 15378(b)(2) and (b)(5)]. The draft Ordinance only makes various technical changes to continuing administrative activities, specifically those pertaining to the administrative remedies available for carrying out and enforcing existing building standards. On that basis, the proposed ordinance is not subject to CEQA. Notwithstanding the above, based on the whole of the administrative record, the draft Ordinance is exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301 (categorical exemption for existing facilities), 15308 (Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment), and Class 21 (Enforcement Actions by Regulatory Agencies); and, that none of the exceptions under Section 15300.2 apply. Tthe project is not subject to CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (common sense exemption), because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. PRESENT and ADOPT the accompanying ORDINANCE, dated March 20, 2024, amending Sections 91.8904, 91.8905 and 98.0707 of the LAMC to allow the City to provide private security to secure properties that are subject to administrative abatement.