Lawrence Middle School Plumbing Project

2026090367

Los Angeles Unified School District

NOE - Notice of Exemption

9/9/2026

9/9/2026

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

19.52

The Lawrence Middle School Plumbing Project (Project) will occur on the 19.52-acre Lawrence Middle School campus (Lawrence MS or Campus). The Campus is located at 10100 Variel Avenue in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the City of Los Angeles. The Campus is situated in an urban area and is surrounded by single-family residential homes.

Categorical Exemption

15301, 15302

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. Implementation of the proposed Project would replace deteriorated underground piping systems with a new in-kind system throughout the Campus. The Project components would not present a new or expanded use of the Project site. Therefore, the Project constitutes minor alterations to an existing LAUSD campus that results 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 installation of the new water and sewer piping will replace the existing system and replace fire sprinkler, gas, and irrigation lines. The Project would not result in an increase or alteration of the current use, function, or capacity of the existing Campus. Therefore, the Project satisfies the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15302. 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 it will not violate any of the exceptions described below. 1. The project would occur in certain specified sensitive environments or locations; This exception only applies to Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11; therefore it is not applicable for the purposes of this Notice of Exemption. 2. Cumulative impacts would be considerable because successive projects of the same type would occur at the same place over time; Currently, there are no other successive projects of the same type planned at the Campus during the same construction period. Additionally, this Project would not increase the student enrollment capacity of the Campus. Therefore, no cumulative impacts will result from the Project and successive projects of the same type occurring at the same place over time. 3. There is a reasonable possibility that the activity would have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstance; There are no known unusual circumstances that would have a significant effect on the environment. The Project does not include removal of trees. 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. All tree trimming and removal conducted on District property is required to adhere to the procedures described in the LAUSD 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 (SC) of approval SC-BIO-3. The Project will 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, 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. 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 scenic highway; The closest designated scenic highway to the Project is the State Route 27, located approximately 11.75 miles south of Lawrence MS. This is a sufficient distance from this resource to be outside of the view shed, so the Project will not degrade the characteristics that contribute to its scenic eligibility. 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 Campus associated with the Project is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. Therefore, the Project will not be expected to result in impacts related to being located on a hazardous waste site. 6. The project may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historic resource. Lawrence MS is over 45 years old, meeting LAUSD’s threshold for review as a potential historic resource and requiring evaluation for historic eligibility. LAUSD’s Historic Preservation Specialist has determined that Lawrence MS is ineligible 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.