2025 OPEN SPACE ELEMENT AMENDMENTS

Overview

Senate Bill (SB) 1425 was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2022. The law requires each local jurisdiction to update the open space element of its General Plan to address:

Access to open space for all residents in a manner that considers social, economic, and racial equity, correlated with the environmental justice element or environmental justice policies in the general plan;
Climate resilience and other co-benefits of open space, correlated with the safety element; and
Rewilding opportunities, correlated with the land use element.

Following draft guidelines provided by the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI), Planning Department staff conducted a comprehensive review of existing County General Plan documents and has determined that the requirements of SB 1425 are already satisfied through existing General Plan policies and related implementation measures. The amendments will document the County's compliance with SB 1425 by incorporating relevant, adopted General Plan policies and programs by reference into the existing Open Space Element. A tentative public engagement and adoption schedule is below.

This project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the "common sense exemption" (CEQA Section 15601(b)(3)) "[w]here it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment," and because it would not "result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment" (CEQA Guidelines section 15060(c)(2)). A draft CEQA Notice of Exemption is available here for review.

Public meeting schedule (subject to change)

October 28, 2025: Agricultural Advisory Committee
November 10, 2025: Castro Valley MAC
November 13, 2025: Eden Area MAC
November 19, 2025: Sunol CAC
December 2, 2025: Fairview MAC
December 15, 2025: Planning Commission
January 28, 2026: Board of Supervisors Unincorporated Services Committee
February 2, 2026: Board of Supervisors Transportation and Planning Committee
March 12, 2026: Board of Supervisors - Planning Meeting

Staff Contact

Alison Abbors, Senior Planner
Email