Step 1:
Familiarize yourself with CEQA. CEQA is a complex environmental consideration law, but the basics of it can be mastered with some concerted education. There is a large amount of information available on the subject of CEQA. Please refer to the following section of this publication for some suggested information sources. Additionally, contact your local government and request a copy of their local CEQA guidelines as well as any public informational handouts they may have available.

Finally, familiarize yourself with the local codes related to historical resources. Find out if there is a local historic preservation ordinance that would serve to provide protection for the historical resource in question. If so, find out how the review process under that ordinance works. Research ways you can make your opinion heard through that process as well as the general CEQA environmental review process. Usually local ordinances will allow for greater protection for historical resources than CEQA’s requirement of consideration. Therefore this is a very important step.

It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of educating yourself prior to an actual preservation emergency arising. CEQA puts in place very strict time controls on comment periods and statutes of limitations on litigation. These controls do not allow much time to learn CEQA in the heat of an impending project. It is far, far better to have at least a cursory understanding of CEQA and local codes related to historical resources well in advance of having to take on a preservation advocacy battle.

Step 2:
If and when there is an “action” or a “project” that would invoke CEQA, you should contact the local government undertaking the action. First rule, don’t give up if you get shuffled from person to person. Stick with it. Ultimately, you want to get to the person in charge of the project (usually that’s a planner in the Planning Department, but it might also be someone with Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Building and Safety, etc.). When you get to the right person, ask where they are in terms of CEQA compliance (using an exemption, preparing initial study or preparing CEQA document).

If the lead agency is using an exemption, ask if they have filed or intend to file a notice of exemption. If so, obtain a copy of it and move to step 3. If not, and you question the use of the exemption, investigate how you go about requesting an appeal of the decision and do so. Additionally, contact OHP to discuss submitting written comments. See step 4 for further information on ensuring your right to initiate litigation.

Once the initial study is finished, the lead agency should know what type of CEQA document they’re going to prepare (negative declaration, , mitigated negative declaration, or environmental impact report). If the document has already been prepared, ask to have a copy mailed to you or ask where you can pick up a copy. If the document has not been prepared yet, ask to be placed on mailing list to receive a copy when it’s done. If they don’t keep a mailing list, then you need to keep an eye on the public postings board (usually at the Clerk’s office) for when it does come out and then get a copy (some local governments also post on the internet, so you don’t have to go in person or call in every week). If the local government says they didn’t do a CEQA document, ask why. Then call OHP to discuss where to go from there. If the local government says that they prepared a CEQA document but the comment period on it is closed then there may not be much you can do (see litigation information in step 4); still, ask to have a copy of it sent to you. Then call OHP to discuss how best to proceed.

Step 3:
When you get a copy of the document, read it and call OHP to discuss. Then prepare your comments (don’t dally, comment periods are usually for 45 days, but are sometimes only 30 days). Also, contact OHP as soon as possible to inform us when a document has come out so we can get a copy and comment on it as well. OHP does its best to respond to all citizens’ requests for comments on CEQA documents. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to comment on a document with only a few days notice. Therefore, contacting us as soon as possible at the beginning of a comment period on a document, or, even better, prior to the release of the document, will help ensure that we are able to provide substantive written comments within the allotted time period.

Step 4:
Submit your comments and attend public hearings. Make sure all your concerns are on record (if the decision does go to litigation, the only thing the judge will be looking at is what’s in the public record). Appeal any decision that doesn’t go your way (you must exhaust all administrative remedies or your lawsuit—if it comes to that—won’t be heard). Even if you do not intend to or want to initiate litigation, don’t let the local government know that. You need to appear ready to take the matter to court, because often that’s the only thing that will get their attention. If you know in advance that litigation will probably result, you should strongly consider hiring an attorney as early in the process as possible. An attorney will probably be able to provide much stronger arguments in commenting on the adequacy of a CEQA document than you as a member of the public would, and he or she can help ensure that your right to initiate litigation is protected.

Step 5:
Often you will find that CEQA doesn’t provide you with a mechanism to protect a particular historical resource. This may be the case for a number of reasons, including that the project is private and ministerial (i.e., involves no discretion on the part of a public agency), is subject to a statutory exemption, or has been approved as a result of CEQA documents already having been prepared and circulated prior to your learning of the project. In these instances, you may find that a public relations campaign is your only recourse. In such situations, do not give up hope. There are many examples of citizens utilizing such means as the media, informational mailings and meetings, and dialogue with project developers to halt or alter a project even in the absence of legal remedies. This is an especially useful course of action when the proposed project involves a business that needs to build or retain a positive image in the minds of citizens in the local community in order to succeed.