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Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (2019) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT 2019 City of Santa Ana Local Guidelines 7-27 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP Agency, is not required to respond to comments received after the public review period. However, the City, as Lead Agency, should consider responding to all comments if it will not delay action on the Final EIR, since any comment received before final action on the EIR can form the basis of a legal challenge. A written response that addresses the comment or adequately explains the City’s action in light of the comment may assist in defending against a legal challenge. 7.31 PREPARATION AND CONTENTS OF FINAL EIR. Following the receipt of any comments on the Draft EIR as required herein, such comments shall be evaluated by Staff and a Final EIR shall be prepared. The Final EIR shall meet all requirements of Local Guidelines Section 7.18 and shall consist of the Draft EIR or a revision of the Draft, a section containing either verbatim or in summary the comments and recommendations received through the review and consultation process, a list of persons, organizations and public agencies commenting on the Draft, and a section containing the responses of the City to the significant environmental points raised in the review and consultation process. 7.32 RECIRCULATION WHEN NEW INFORMATION IS ADDED TO EIR. When significant new information is added to the EIR after notice and consultation but before certification, the Lead Agency must recirculate the Draft EIR for another public review period. The term “information” can include changes in the project or environmental setting as well as additional data or other information. New information is significant only when the EIR is changed in a way that would deprive the public of a meaningful opportunity to comment upon a substantial adverse environmental effect of a project or a feasible way to mitigate or avoid such an effect, including a feasible project alternative, that the project proponents decline to implement. Recirculation is required, for example, when: (1) New information added to an EIR discloses: (a) A new significant environmental impact resulting from the project or from a new mitigation measure proposed to be implemented; or (b) A significant increase in the severity of an environmental impact (unless mitigation measures are also adopted that reduce the impact to a level of insignificance); or (c) A feasible project alternative or mitigation measure that clearly would lessen the significant environmental impacts of the project, but which the project proponents decline to adopt; or (2) The Draft EIR is so fundamentally and basically inadequate and conclusory in nature that meaningful public review and comment were precluded. Recirculation is not required when the new information added to the EIR merely clarifies or amplifies or makes insignificant modifications in an adequate EIR. If the revision is limited to a few chapters or portions of the EIR, the City as Lead Agency need only recirculate the chapters