Committee clears SB 675 to speed post-EIR review for proposed Seaport San Diego redevelopment

Senator Alex Padilla (identified in the transcript as Senator Padilla) presented SB 675 to the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee as a district-oriented bill to promote early coordination and timely review of large, multi-agency projects seeking ELDP designation. "This bill is not a modification of CEQA," Padilla said, adding that SB 675 seeks to apply the "spirit and standards" associated with Environmental Leadership Development Projects to responsible-agency review timelines, particularly at the California Coastal Commission.

The bill’s principal example is a proposed comprehensive redevelopment of Seaport Village in San Diego, branded in testimony as "Seaport San Diego." Yehudi Gaffin, CEO of 1 Highway 1 and the project's developer, described the plan as approximately 2,700,000 square feet of development across the Port tidelands, with about 17 acres of public space, an aquarium, an ocean education center in partnership with the San Diego Unified School District, a range of hotel options including a low-cost hostel, and a mix of retail and lab space. Gaffin told the committee the project would create "over 25,000 full time construction jobs and at least 4,500 full time annual jobs at build out," and estimated construction costs at roughly $3.6 billion with a net fiscal impact of about $1 billion to the City of San Diego and more than $400 million to the county.

Unions including Unite Here Local 30 and the State Association of Electrical Workers testified in support, pointing to the project’s potential to create prevailing-wage construction and hospitality jobs. Rick Bates of Unite Here said the legislation would provide timeline certainty to help ensure a pipeline of permanent hospitality jobs and that ELDP projects must meet environmental standards, including LEED Gold and no net new greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental organizations registered concerns. Kim Delfino of Defenders of Wildlife and the California Coastal Protection Network said the organization held an "oppose unless amended" position and thanked the author for willingness to work; the Planning and Conservation League aligned with that approach. Opposition centered on ensuring the bill does not weaken the Coastal Act, the public trust, or CEQA protections and on preserving the Coastal Commission’s existing authorities.

Senator Padilla and other committee members repeatedly emphasized that, as presented and amended, SB 675 does not supplant CEQA or the Coastal Act but instead seeks clearer, timely responses from responsible agencies and limits on constructive-denial practices. Padilla described meetings with California Coastal Commission leadership and said he had narrowed the bill’s application to reduce scope and preserve environmental standards.

Formal action: Senator Stern made the motion to "do pass as amended to appropriations." The committee roll call recorded votes from Senators Limon, Seardo, Allen, Grove, Hurtado, Laird and Stern, with the chair and vice chair also recorded as voting aye. The bill passed the committee as amended; the transcript reports a final committee vote of 7-0 and referred SB 675 to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

What the bill would do and what remains unspecified: SB 675 would require earlier coordination among responsible agencies, set clearer early timelines (the author described a 180-day deadline for certain post-EIR agency actions), and aim to reduce duplicative reviews after a project's EIR is certified. The transcript identifies existing law and programs (ELDP designation, Permit Streamlining Act) but does not contain final statutory language, the full list of covered agencies, or detailed timelines for every approval step; the author and stakeholders committed to continued work on language.

The committee recorded broad support from labor and the developer and cautious opposition from environmental groups; the author and chair signaled ongoing negotiations to resolve outstanding concerns before later floor hearings.