Sonoma — Standing Order re: CEQA Admin Records

Source: https://sonoma.courts.ca.gov/system/files/ceqaadminrecords.pdf

Hon. Arthur A. Wick 1 Judge of the Superior Court Department l7 2 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200 Santa Rosa, CA 95403 J Telephone: (7 07) 521, -6725

4

5

6 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COLINTY OF SONOMA

7

8 In Re CEQA Cases, 9 STANDING ORDER REGARDING ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS 10 IN ALL CEQA ACTIONS

11

t2

13 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED: l4 1. The preparation, lodging, and service of the administrative record must comply with the 15 requirements of all provisions set forth in California Rules of Court, rule 3.2200 et seq., t6 specifically including the provisions found in rules 3 .2205 , 3 .2206, 3 .2207 , and 3 .2208 fot t7 preparing, lodging, and serving the administrative record in paper or electronic format. 18 2. The party preparing the administrative record must lodge it with the court and serve it l9 on each party. All records must comply with California Rule of Court, rule 3.2205. A record in 20 electronic format must comply with California Rule of Court, rule 3.2207. A record in paper 2l format must comply with California Rule of Court, rule 3.2208. 22 3. Any record or portion thereof lodged in paper format shall be bound on the left margin, 23 thermally bound, or in three-ring binders, or in other manner approved by the court. 24 4. Unless the court orders otherwise, the party preparing the administrative record may 25 lodge and file the entire record in paper format. 26 5. Unless the court orders otherwise, should the party preparing the record choose to lodge 27 and serve the record in electronic format, it may do so in accord with the following requirements: 28

1

I a) The party must lodge and serve in paper format at least all those portions of the record

2 identified in California Rule of Court, rule 3.2205(aX1Xa)-(G), inclusive, to wit:

J (A) The Notice of Determination;

4 (B) The resolutions or ordinances adopted by the lead agency approving the

5 project;

6 (C) The findings required by Public Resources Code section 21081, including any

7 statement of overriding considerations;

8 (D) The final environmental impact report, including the draft environmental 9 impact report or a revision of the draft, all other matters included in the final

l0 environmental impact report, and other types of environmental impact documents 1l prepared under the California Environmental Quality Act, such as a negative

t2 declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or addenda;

13 (E) The initial study;

t4 (F) Staff reports prepared for the administrative bodies providing subordinate

15 approvals or recommendations to the lead agency, in chronological order; and

t6 (G) Transcripts and minutes of hearings, in chronological order. t7 b) Unless the court orders otherwise, the party preparing the record may provide the l8 "remainder of the record, in chronological order" as identified in California Rule of Court,

19 rule 3.2205(aXlXH) in solely electronic format, at its election.

20 c) Should aparty cite to any portion of the record which would be lodged in only

21 electronic format according to the above provisions, that party must also lodge and serve a 22 paper copy of any such portion of the record cited. Each party doing so must provide all

ZJ such portions of the record which it cites bound together as an appendix of excerpts as

24 noted in California Rule of Court, rule 3.2205(c). These shall be bound either as the 25 record is bound or in a thermal-bound or spiral-bound or three-ring-binder format or in 26 other format approved by the court, and identified as the portions of the record which that

27 party cites. However, no party need provide such copies of any portion of the record cited

28 that is already lodged in paper format.

1 6. Any record or portion thereof that is lodged in electronic format shall be created in

2 portable document format (PDF) or other method approved by the court and shall be consistent

J with California Rule of Court, rule 3.2207. The record must: 4 a) be divided into a series of electronic files and include electronic bookmarks that identiff

5 each part of the record and clearly state the volume and page numbers contained in each

6 part ofthe record;

7 b) be contained on a CD-ROM, DVD, or other medium in a manner that cannot be altered;

8 and

9 c) be capable of full text searching.

l0 The electronic version of the index required under California Rule of Court, rule 3.2205(b)

11 may include hyperlinks to the indexed documents.

t2 7. Any record or portion thereof that is lodged in electronic format shall be clearly labelled 13 on the medium itself and presented in an envelope or similar container, paper or plastic, also so t4 labelled. If the electronic version is provided for an administrative record that is also provided in 15 paper format, this envelope or similar container shall be itself attached to the portion of the record

t6 containing the paper index at the beginning of the record. t7 8. Should the court require a paper copy of any portion of the record lodged only in 18 electronic format, the submitting party shall provide, at its expense, a paper copy within l4 days

t9 of a court order to so provide, this obligation to last as long as the applicable record retention

20 period.

2t IT IS SO ORDERED.

22 Dated: October 20,2020 /lru Hon. A.W 23 Superior Court Judge

24 (Revised October 2020)

25

26

27

28

-3-