(a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in Section 25149.5 or 25181 of this code or Section 731 of the Code of Civil Procedure, no city or county, whether chartered or general law, or district may enact, issue, enforce, suspend, revoke, or modify any ordinance, regulation, law, license, or permit relating to an existing hazardous waste facility so as to prohibit or unreasonably regulate the disposal, treatment, or recovery of resources from hazardous waste or a mix of hazardous and solid wastes at that facility, unless, after public notice and hearing, the director determines that the operation of the facility may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment. However, nothing in this section authorizes an operator of that facility to violate any term or condition of a local land use permit or any other provision of law not in conflict with this section.

(b)  The director shall, pursuant to subdivision (c), conduct the hearing specified in subdivision (a) to determine whether the operation of an existing hazardous waste facility may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment whenever any of the following occurs:

(1)  A state or federal public agency requires any person to evacuate a residence or requires the evacuation of a school, place of employment, commercial establishment, or other facility to which the public has access, because of the release of a hazardous substance from the facility.

(2)  For more than five days in any month, the air emissions from the facility result in the violation of an emission standard for a hazardous air pollutant established pursuant to Section 7412 of Title 42 of the United States Code or the threshold exposure level for a toxic air contaminant, as defined in Section 39655.

(3)  A state or federal public agency requires that the use of a source of drinking water be discontinued because of the contamination of the source by a release of hazardous waste, hazardous substances, or leachate from the facility.

(4)  A state agency, or the board of supervisors of the county in which the facility is located, upon recommendation of its local health officer, makes a finding that the public health has been affected by a release of hazardous wastes from the facility. The finding shall be based on statistically significant data developed in a health effects study conducted according to a study design, and using a methodology, that are developed after considering the suggestions on study design and methodology made by interested parties and that are approved by the Epidemiological Studies Section in the Epidemiology and Toxicology Branch of the State Department of Health Services before beginning the study.

(5)  The owner or operator of the facility is in violation of an order issued pursuant to Section 25187 that requires one or both of the following:

(A)  The correction of a violation or condition that has resulted, or threatens to result, in an unauthorized release of hazardous waste or a constituent of hazardous waste from the facility into either the onsite or offsite environment.

(B)  The cleanup of a release of hazardous waste or a constituent of hazardous waste, the abatement of the effects of the release, and any other necessary remedial action.

(6)  The facility is in violation of an order issued pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 13300) of, or Article 2 (commencing with Section 13320) of, Chapter 5 of Division 7 of the Water Code or in violation of a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction issued pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 13340) of Chapter 5 of Division 7 of the Water Code.

(c)  Whenever the director determines that a hearing is required, as specified in subdivision (b), the director shall immediately request the Office of Administrative Hearings to assign an administrative law judge to conduct the hearing, pursuant to this subdivision.

(1)  After an administrative law judge is assigned by the Office of Administrative Hearings, the director shall transmit to the administrative law judge and to the operator of the existing hazardous waste facility, all relevant documents, information, and data that were the basis for the director’s determination. The director shall also prepare a notice specifying the time and place of the hearing. The notice shall also include a clear statement of the reasons for conducting the hearing, a description of the facts, data, circumstances, or occurrences that are the cause for conducting the hearing, and the issues to be addressed at the hearing. The hearing shall be held as close to the location of the existing hazardous waste facility as is practicable and shall commence no later than 30 days following the director’s request to the Office of Administrative Hearings to assign an administrative law judge to the case.

(2)  The hearing specified in paragraph (1) shall be conducted in accordance with Article 8 (commencing with Section 11435.05) of Chapter 4.5 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of, and Sections 11511 to 11515, inclusive, of, the Government Code. The administrative law judge’s proposed decision shall be transmitted to the director within 30 days after the case is submitted.

(3)  The director may adopt the proposed decision of the administrative law judge in its entirety or may decide the case upon the record, as provided in Section 11517 of the Government Code. The director’s decision shall be in writing and shall contain findings of fact and a determination of the issues presented. The decision is subject to judicial review in accordance with Section 11523 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 343, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2001.)