Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Projects at seven LA Unified Campuses (Group 20)

2026050216

Los Angeles Unified School District

NOE - Notice of Exemption

5/6/2026

5/6/2026

Christy Wong

Los Angeles Unified School District

CEQA Project Manager

Lead/Public Agency

333 S Beaudry Ave, 21st Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 241-3394

cp-christy.wong@lausd.net

• Beethoven Street Elementary School - 3711 Beethoven Street, Los Angeles, CA 90066 • Cheremoya Avenue Elementary School - 6017 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028 • Dominguez Elementary School - 21250 Santa Fe Avenue, Carson, CA 90810 • Gage Middle School - 2880 E Gage Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255 • Leland Street Elementary School - 2120 S Leland Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 • Miles Avenue Elementary School - 6720 Miles Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255 • Ritter Elementary School - 11108 Watts Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90059

Categorical Exemption

15301, 15302, 15303, 15311

Section 15301 – Existing Facilities Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency's determination. The Project entails ADA compliance improvements at seven LA Unified Campuses. Such improvements may include upgrades to accessible routes and removal of barriers; accessible upgrades to parking areas; upgrades to ADA restrooms; installation of ADA compliant ramps; installation of platform lifts; installation of ADA compliant drinking fountains and sinks; installation of accessible gates, doors, thresholds, and/or hardware; installation of ADA compliant signage; modification of assembly seats; installation of assisted listening devices/ intercoms; modification of railings; and installation of playground components. All of the proposed Project components would involve minor alterations to existing public structures and would occur within the area occupied by existing facilities at the Project sites. The Project components would not present a new or expanded use of the Project sites. Therefore, the Project constitutes minor alterations to existing school sites that result in no expansion of use and meets the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. Section 15302 – Replacement or Reconstruction Class 2 consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. The Project includes upgrades or replacement of existing structures and facilities, such as upgrades to accessible route upgrades and removal of barriers; upgrades to ADA restrooms; modification of assembly seats; and modification of railings. The Project would not change the location or the purpose of the structures and facilities being replaced and will not expand the capacity of the Campuses. Therefore, the Project satisfies the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15302. Section 15303 – New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made to the structure. The Project includes the construction and location of small new structures, such as the installation of ADA compliant ramps; installation of platform lifts; installation of ADA compliant drinking fountains and sinks; installation of accessible gates, doors, thresholds, and/or hardware; and installation of playground components. Therefore, the Project satisfies the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15303. Section 15311 – Accessory Structures Class 11 consists of construction or replacement of minor structures accessory to (appurtenant to) existing commercial, industrial, or institutional facilities, including, but not limited to, on premise signs and small parking lots. The Project includes the construction or replacement of minor structures accessory to existing institutional facilities, including upgrades to accessible routes; installation of ADA compliant ramps; installation of platform lifts; installation of ADA compliant drinking fountains and sinks; installation of accessible gates, doors, thresholds and/or hardware; modification of assembly seats modifications; installation of assisted listening devices/ intercoms; and modification of railings. Therefore, the Project satisfies the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15311. Section 15300.2 – Exceptions Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines, Exceptions, provides conditions under which categorical exemptions are inapplicable. Review of the Project indicates that they would not violate any of the exceptions, as described below. 1. The project would occur in certain specified sensitive environments or locations; The Project sites are fully developed Campuses within urbanized communities. The Project sites are not designated as biologically sensitive locations. The nearest sensitive environment to the Project sites is an area supporting the Coastal California gnatcatcher, located approximately 1.5 miles west of Leland ES, and Griffith Park, located approximately 0.8 miles northeast of Cheremoya ES. , As such, the Project will not impact sensitive environments or locations. 2. Cumulative impacts would be considerable because successive projects of the same type would occur at the same place over time; The Campuses are active school sites and there will likely be ongoing maintenance activities and minor projects on the Campuses to keep the schools operational. As the Project would not result in any lasting impacts once construction of the Project is complete, the Project would not contribute to cumulative impacts when considered with expected successive projects. 3. There is a reasonable possibility that the activity would have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. There are no known unusual circumstances that would have a significant effect on the environment. The removal of trees is anticipated as part of the proposed scope of work. District policy requires consultation with an arborist to determine if the trees are a protected native species. All tree trimming and removal conducted on District property is required to adhere to the procedures described in the OEHS Tree Trimming and Removal Procedure. Additionally, written approval from the school principal will be required before any trees can be removed. If tree removal is scheduled to occur between February 1 and August 31, a nesting bird survey would be performed prior to removal activities, per Standard Condition of Approval (SC) SC-BIO-3 of the Subsequent Program Environmental Impact Report (SPEIR). The Project may include minor ground-disturbing activities. These activities are not considered unusual circumstances for the classes of projects under which an exemption is claimed. Nevertheless, consideration must be given to the management of pavement removal and excavated soils associated with earthwork activities for the Project. As the Project involves the removal of pavement, soil sampling and testing for characterization is required prior to demolition and removal of the paving materials. If construction or earthmoving activities require import or export of soils and materials, OEHS must be notified to provide oversight to ensure that these activities are conducted in compliance with the requirements of District Specification 01 4524, relevant provisions of South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1466, and other applicable environmental agency rules and requirements. Furthermore, as set forth in SC-CUL-6, SC-CUL-7, SC-CUL-10, and SC-GEO-2 of the SPEIR, construction activities must be stopped immediately and OEHS notified upon discovery of subsurface features, such as buried resources (i.e., paleontological resources, archaeological resources), tanks or seepage pits, or stained/odoriferous soils. Lastly, any construction and demolition waste shall be recycled to the maximum extent feasible per SC-USS-1 of the SPEIR. Therefore, the Project would not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. 4. The project may result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; The closest designated state scenic highway to any of the Project sites is State Route 2 (SR2), which is located approximately 11.4 miles northeast of Cheremoya ES. In addition, the Project would not result in the removal of historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or other scenic resources. Therefore, the Project would not result in damage to scenic resources or similar resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. 5. The project is located on a site which is included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code; or None of the Project sites are located on sites that are included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. Therefore, the Project would have no impacts related to being located on a hazardous waste site. 6. The project may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Beethoven ES, Dominguez ES, Gage MS, and Miles ES are not eligible for federal, state, or local listing under any of the applicable criteria and are therefore not considered to be historical resources pursuant to CEQA. Research did not reveal any architectural significance or significant association between the Campuses and the development of alternative educational approaches or any other historical events or personages significant to national, state, or local history. Therefore, Project activities at these schools would not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historic resource. LA Unified has identified Cheremoya ES, Leland ES, and Ritter ES as eligible for listing as a historic resource per Section 18955 of the California State Historical Building Code (CHBC). The Administration Building of Cheremoya ES is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), under Criteria A/1 as an exemplification of LAUSD design ideas and principles, under the Context Public and Private Institutional Development and Theme, LAUSD Pre-1933 Long Beach Earthquake School Plants, 1910-1933. The Administrative Building of Leland ES is eligible for listing in the CRHR for its excellent example of a LA Unified elementary school, representing campus planning and design concepts from the post-1933 Long Beach Earthquake period of school construction and the PWA Moderne architectural style. The Main Building of Ritter ES is eligible for listing on the NRHP and is listed on the CRHR for its significant association with the Pre-1933 Long Beach Earthquake theme presented in the Los Angeles Unified School District Historic Context Statement. In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(b)(3), a project that conforms to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (Secretary’s Standards) is generally considered to be a project that will not cause a significant adverse impact. (14 CCR Section 15126.4(b)(1)). If a project meets the Secretary’s Standards, the project can, in most cases, be considered categorically exempt from CEQA (14 CCR Section 15331) and qualify for a Notice of Exemption. OEHS’ Historic Preservation Specialist review found no potential for impacts on a historical resource for Cheremoya ES, Leland ES, and Ritter ES. The Project conforms with the applicable guidelines (the Secretary’s Standards and Los Angeles Unified School District Design Guidelines and Treatment Approaches for Historic Schools (LAUSD Design Guidelines)). As the work at the school shall conform with the Secretary’s Standards and the LAUSD Design Guidelines, OEHS’ Historical Preservation Specialist has determined that the Project meets the requirements specified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(b)(3) and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Should the scope of the Project activities be altered from the components that are described above, standard District procedure requires that OEHS must be notified immediately to ensure that these activities are conducted in compliance with the Secretary’s Standards and would not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.