15378. PROJECT

• (a) “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and that is any of the following:

  • (1) An activity directly undertaken by any public agency including but not limited to public works construction and related activities clearing or grading of land, improvements to existing public structures, enactment and amendment of zoning ordinances, and the adoption and amendment of local General Plans or elements thereof pursuant to Government Code Sections 65100–65700.

  • (2) An activity undertaken by a person which is supported in whole or in part through public agency contacts, grants, subsidies, loans, or other forms of assistance from one or more public agencies.

  • (3) An activity involving the issuance to a person of a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use by one or more public agencies.

• (b) Project does not include:

  • (1) Proposals for legislation to be enacted by the State Legislature;

  • (2) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making (except as they are applied to specific instances covered above);

  • (3) The submittal of proposals to a vote of the people of the state or of a particular community that does not involve a public agency sponsored initiative. ( Stein v. City of Santa Monica (1980) 110 Cal.App.3d 458; Friends of Sierra Madre v. City of Sierra Madre (2001) 25 Cal.4th 165);

  • (4) The creation of government funding mechanisms or other government fiscal activities which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.

  • (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.

• (c) The term “project” refers to the activity which is being approved and which may be subject to several discretionary approvals by governmental agencies. The term “project” does not mean each separate governmental approval.

• (d) Where the Lead Agency could describe the project as either the adoption of a particular regulation under subdivision (a)(1) or as a development proposal which will be subject to several governmental approvals under subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3) , the Lead Agency shall describe the project as the development proposal for the purpose of environmental analysis. This approach will implement the Lead Agency principle as described in Article 4.

Note: Authority cited: Section 21083, Public Resources Code; Reference: Section 21065, Public Resources Code; Kaufman and Broad-South Bay, Inc. v. Morgan Hill Unified School District (1992) 9 Cal.App.4th 464; Fullerton Joint Union High School District v. State Board of Education (1982) 32 Cal.3d 779; Simi Valley Recreation and Park District v. Local Agency Formation Commission of Ventura County (1975) 51 Cal.App.3d 648; and Communities for a Better Environment v. California Resources Agency (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 98.

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