San Julian Bus Garage Electric Charging Stations (Phase 2) Project

2026070029

Los Angeles Unified School District

NOE - Notice of Exemption

7/1/2026

7/1/2026

Zulema Renteria

Los Angeles Unified School District

Environmental Planning Specialist

Lead/Public Agency

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

(213) 241-3432

zulema.renteria@lausd.net

The San Julian Bus Garage Electric Charging Stations (Phase 2) Project will be located on the southern portion of the approximately 2.4-acre San Julian Bus Garage site (Bus Garage). The Bus Garage is located at 1424 San Pedro Street in the Downtown neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. It is bound by Pico Boulevard to the north, San Pedro Street to the east, 15th Street to the south and San Julian Street to the west. The Bus Garage is located in an urbanized community primarily consisting of industrial facilities and wholesale commercial uses surrounding the Project area.

Categorical Exemption

15301, 15303, 15304

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 will utilize the existing Bus Garage site controlled by the District that is currently used for parking and transportation related services. The improvements at the Bus Garage will constitute operation, repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing facilities involving no expansion of the facilities' use. Therefore, the Project constitutes minor alterations to an existing school site that result in no expansion of use and meets the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. 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 will utilize the existing Bus Garage site controlled by the District that is currently used for parking and transportation related services. The improvements at the Bus Garage would constitute 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. Therefore, the Project satisfies the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15303. Section 15304 - Minor Alterations to Land Class 4 consists of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry or agricultural purposes. The Project will utilize the Bus Garage controlled by the District that is currently used for parking and transportation related services. Construction activities that may involve minor alterations to land include minor trenching and backfilling for installation of charging foundations for the new bus and EV chargers, and the new electrical services. All impacted surfaces would be restored. The Project will not remove healthy, mature, or scenic trees. Therefore, the Project fulfills the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15304. 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 site is fully developed areas within a heavily urbanized area of Los Angeles. The Project site is not designated as biologically sensitive sites or locations and do not contain sensitive resources or habitat that will be impacted by the Project. The Project will be contained exclusively within the boundaries of the sites. The nearest Significant Ecological Area is the Whittier Narrows and the nearest sensitive environment is the Coastal California gnatcatcher habitat in the Montebello; both are located approximately 8.8 miles east of the San Julian Bus Garage. 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 site associated with the Project is an active bus maintenance yard that services several schools and other facilities. There will likely be ongoing maintenance activities and minor projects to keep it operational and to LAUSD standards. As the Project will not result in any lasting adverse 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 not anticipated as part of the proposed scope of work. However, should the Project be altered to include the removal of trees, LAUSD's Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) must be notified immediately. District policy requires consultation with an arborist to determine if the trees are a protected native species. 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 will include minor ground-disturbing activities at the Bus Garage during construction. 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. OEHS will provide oversight to ensure that these activities are conducted in compIiance 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.9 Furthermore, as set forth in SC-CUL-6, SC-CUL-7, SC-CUL-9, 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-I of the Program EIR. Regarding vehicle travel impacts, the Project would not have an adverse impact. According to the Governor's Office of Planning & Research, replacement projects designed to improve the condition of existing transportation assets (e.g., transit systems) and do not add additional motor vehicle capacity would not likely lead to a substantial or measurable increase in vehicle travel, and therefore generally should not require an induced travel analysis. Therefore, the Project will 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 the Project site is the Angeles Crest State Scenic Highway, a 55.1-mile portion on State Route 2 (SR-2), which is located approximately 14.1 miles north of the San Julian Bus Garage. 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 The Project is not located on a site included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. 14 Therefore, the Project will 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. The San Julian Bus Garage is over 45 years old, meeting LA Unified's threshold for review as a potential historic resource and requiring evaluation for historic eligibility. LA Unified's Historic Preservation Specialist has determined that the site as not eligible for federal, State, or local listing under any of the applicable criteria and is therefore not considered a historical resource pursuant to CEQA. Therefore, the Project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.