NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
TO: Office of Planning and Research
1400 Tenth Street, Room 121
Sacramento, CA 95814
FROM: City of Glendale, Planning Department
633 E. Broadway, Room 103
Glendale, CA 91206-4386
Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Business Filings and Registration Section, Room 2001
12400 Imperial Highway
Norwalk, CA 90650
Project Tile: General Plan Safety Element 2025 Update – Case No. PGPA2119840 Project Location - Specific: Citywide
Project Applicant: City of Glendale
Project Location - City: Glendale Project Location - County: Los Angeles Description of Nature, Purpose and Beneficiaries of Project:
In compliance with recent State legislation (SB 1035, SB 1241, SB 99, AB 747, and AB 1409), the City is revising its 2003 Safety Element to include updated information on natural hazards such as wildfires and floods, as well as evacuation and emergency preparedness and response. The 2025 Update also addresses recent State Law (SB 379) requiring the Safety Element to identify how these and other hazards in Glendale are exacerbated by climate change, and what populations, locations, and community features are particularly vulnerable to climate hazards and changing climate conditions. The 2025 Update includes two new appendices: a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (Appendix B) and an Evacuation Analysis (Appendix C).
Name of Public Agency Approving Project: City of Glendale Name of Person or Agency Carrying Out Project: City of Glendale Exempt Status: (check one)
Ministerial (Sec. 21080(b)(1); 15268);
Declared Emergency (Sec. 21080(b)(3); 15269(a));
Emergency Project (Sec. 21080(b)(4); 15269(b)(c));
Categorical Exemption. State type and section number: Class 1, Section 15301 (b) and (f) Statutory Exemptions. State code number: Section 15060 (c) (2) Reasons why project is exempt:
In accordance with the State CEQA Guidelines, the proposed General Plan Safety Element update has been determined to be an exempt project pursuant to Section 15060(c)(2) in that the proposed amendments, which are primarily limited to policy modifications and updates in compliance with Government Code Section 65302(g)(1) through (g)(9) related to climate change, evacuations and wildfire risks, are not anticipated to result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, nor will the proposed changes have the potential for causing significant effect on the environment. Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15382, "significant effect on the environment" means "a substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in any of the physical conditions within the area affected by the project including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. An
economic or social change by itself shall not be considered a significant effect on the environment. A social or economic change related to a physical change may be considered in determining whether the physical change is significant." The proposed Safety Element update is in compliance with current State General Plan requirements, will not substantially affect, potentially substantially affect, or change the City's land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic resources as all potential changes have been thoroughly considered, and will act to protect the environment by minimizing the potential spread of wildfire or any other natural disasters.
Exhibit 9
NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
Updates to the Safety Element update include programs aimed at reducing the loss of life, injury, private property damage, infrastructure damage, economic losses, social dislocation, and other impacts resulting from fire and/or landslide hazards. These programs include the installation of traffic signal pre-emption devices for fire response at critical intersections, the installation of signal battery backups to maintain signal operations during power outages, the installation of traffic counters and/or CCTV cameras on freeways, and the installation of netting and vegetation to stabilize hillside slopes with landslide potential. Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (b) and (f), the proposed actions involve minor alterations to "Existing Facilities", specifically, publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utilities. The actions also involve minor alterations to "Existing Facilities" for the addition of safety or health protection devices, either during construction or in conjunction with existing structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, including navigational devices.
The Safety Element update is further anticipated to result in the reduction of potential short -and long-term community risks resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate change, and other related hazards. The Project is exempt f rom CEQA for the reasons outlined in the State CEQA Guideline sections cited above.
Lead Agency Contact Person: Vilia Zemaitaitis Area Code/Telephone/Extension: (818) 548-2140 If filed by applicant:
1. Attach certified document of exemption finding.
2. Has a Notice of Exemption been filed by the public agency approving the project? Yes No Signature: Date: Title:
Signed by Lead Agency Date received for filing at OPR:
Signed by Applicant