[Sustain] CEQA: ALERT! Contact Supervisors Today To Support Our Ability To Appeal Modifications Of Projects

[Eric Brooks]

Hi all,

Please see below the CEQA message that I just emailed to the Board of 
Supervisors, and then email similar individual and group communications 
to our two key swing votes on this issue, Supervisors Malia Cohen and 
London Breed at:

Malia.Cohen at sfgov.org    london.breed at sfgov.org

Hi Supervisors and staff,

Tomorrow you will be deciding on a piece of trailing legislation to the 
CEQA procedures that you passed on first reading last week. This 
important trailing legislation is agenda item 65, #130464.

Please know that this trailing legislation embodies a -vital- assurance 
that members of the Community CEQA Improvement Team must have, in order 
to support of the overall agreement on CEQA procedures that you began 
putting into place last week.

Specifically, because the main legislation now requires that CEQA 
appeals must be filed after the -first- approval of a project, the 
public will completely lose the ability it now has, to appeal any 
project that substantially changes after its first approvals (when the 
Environmental Review Officer determines that the project change does not 
require a new environmental review). The Community CEQA Improvement Team 
considers it absolutely essential that the public have the right to seek 
a public hearing with the Environmental Review Officer in cases in which 
we feel that the Environmental Review Officer has erred in deciding that 
a substantial change does not warrant a new environmental review. Such a 
right is the backstop that the public needs, to prevent projects from 
becoming harmful to the environment and San Francisco neighborhoods due 
to error, neglect, or bad action.

It is very important to note that because this new appeal procedure is 
merely administrative, and not an appeal under CEQA law itself, such 
appeals of project modifications will not in any way delay projects 
moving forward during the appeal period.

Because this trailing legislation will give us an assured ability to 
challenge significant project changes, in return we feel we can support 
the full package of CEQA procedures legislation and trailing legislation 
together. This at last, after a 10 year delay, will form a 
groundbreaking compromise that will ensure vast improvements in CEQA 
procedures in San Francisco so that they are better for both project 
sponsors and project appellants.

We strongly urge you to vote 'Yes', and show your support for this 
crucial trailing legislation, so that all parties to these CEQA 
procedures negotiations can finally reach a fair and productive compromise.

Thank you,

Eric Brooks
Coordinator, Community CEQA Improvement Team
415-756-8844