Hermosa Beach board files CEQA notice of exemption for Hermosa Valley modernization

The Hermosa Beach City School District board on July 8 authorized staff to file a Notice of Exemption (NOE) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Hermosa Valley School Modernization Project.

Staff presented the NOE and recommended filing it with the Los Angeles County Clerk and the state clearinghouse. A staff advisor explained CEQA’s purpose and exemptions, saying the law creates a public-notification requirement so interested parties may review a filing and raise concerns within a specified window. The advisor summarized: "This is where the concept of environmental impact reports come in... The law also creates a series of exemptions for things like small projects, like modernizations, like what we're doing at Hermosa Valley." The advisor stated the administrative filing fee as $25 and said the public has 35 days to review and submit concerns.

Board members asked whether the Coastal Commission review is a separate process; staff confirmed the Coastal Commission is a separate agency with jurisdiction in certain coastal areas and that some campuses (the transcript references Vista) may be under coastal jurisdiction while others are not.

After discussion, the board approved filing the NOE by voice vote. The filing starts the administrative public-notice process; interested parties have the stated window to respond, after which staff will address concerns and comply with any required mitigation or process steps.

Next steps: staff will file the NOE with the county clerk and the state clearinghouse and report back if substantive protests or requests for further review arrive.