(a)  A county shall submit the final county hazardous waste management plan adopted by the county to the department for review and approval on or before October 1, 1988. If a county shows the department that the county has made substantial progress towards completing the county hazardous waste management plan and needs more time to complete the plan, the department may extend this date to June 1, 1989. If the department sends comments on the draft county hazardous waste management plan to a county after June 30, 1988, the department may extend the due date for submittal of the final county hazardous waste management plan for that county to September 1, 1989. The department shall, on or before December 31, 1988, or on or before November 30, 1989, if the county is given a time extension, review and either approve or disapprove the county hazardous waste management plan. If an additional time extension is given to September 1, 1989, pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall review and either approve or disapprove the county hazardous waste management plan on or before February 28, 1990. The department shall approve the county hazardous waste management plan if the department makes all of the following determinations:

(1)  The plan substantially complies with the guidelines for the preparation of hazardous waste management plans adopted by the department.

(2)  The plan applies the methods, techniques, and policies established by the department to analyze the waste stream and to determine whether there is a need for additional or expanded hazardous waste facilities to safely manage and properly dispose of the hazardous waste generated within the county.

(3)  If the plan contains a determination pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (d) of Section 25135.1 that there is a need for additional or expanded hazardous waste facilities, the plan proposes general areas, or, as determined appropriate by the county, proposes specific sites which may be suitable locations for a facility. However, if the plan instead contains siting criteria for selecting sites for new hazardous waste facilities, the plan shall propose general areas where the criteria might be applicable.

(4)  If the county preparing the plan has entered into a formal agreement with other counties to manage hazardous waste, the agreement is documented.

(b)  Within 180 days after the department approves a county hazardous waste management plan, the county shall either incorporate the applicable portions of the plan, by reference, into the county’s general plan, or enact an ordinance which requires that all applicable zoning, subdivision, conditional use permit, and variance decisions are consistent with the portions of the county hazardous waste management plan which identify specific sites or siting criteria for hazardous waste facilities.

(c)  Within 180 days after receiving written notification from the county that the county hazardous waste management plan has been approved, each city within that county shall do one of the following:

(1)  Adopt a city hazardous waste management plan containing all of the elements required by subdivision (d) of Section 25135.1 which shall be consistent with the approved county hazardous waste management plan.

(2)  Incorporate the applicable portions of the approved county plan, by reference, into the city’s general plan.

(3)  Enact an ordinance which requires that all applicable zoning, subdivision, conditional use permit, and variance decisions are consistent with the portions of the approved county plan which identify general areas or siting criteria for hazardous waste facilities.

(d)  This section does not limit the authority of any city to attach appropriate conditions to the issuance of any land use approval for a hazardous waste facility in order to protect the public health, safety, or welfare, and does not limit the authority of a city to establish more stringent planning requirements or siting criteria than those specified in the county hazardous waste management plan.

(e)  Any amendment to an adopted county hazardous waste management plan requires the approval of the department, the county, and a majority of the cities within the county which contain a majority of the population of the incorporated area of the county.

(Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1093, Sec. 1. Effective September 20, 1990.)