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LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY Preservation Report Card | 2014

Historic Preservation Element or Plan

A Historic Preservation Element or Plan is a document that outlines preser-
vation-related goals to guide a community’s efforts in protecting its cultural
resources. It describes the various components of an effective historic
preservation program and serves as a useful roadmap for charting future
progress. For jurisdictions that are just establishing a historic preservation
program, such a document can be invaluable as an educational tool for
both planning staff and local residents.

A Historic Preservation Element is generally an optional component of a
jurisdiction’s General Plan. As mandated by state law, every city and county
is required to adopt a General Plan that serves to guide a jurisdiction’s future
development. Seven required elements address topics including land use
and housing. Although one of these required elements is conservation, this
element generally encompasses community character and the natural en-
vironment, not the built environment.
The City of San Fernando’s Historic Preservation
Element earned an L.A. Conservancy
Preservation Award in 2005. A Historic Preservation Element is intended to establish a long-range vi-
sion for the protection of historic resources in a jurisdiction. It sets forth a
series of goals, objectives, and policies to accomplish that vision over time.
For jurisdictions that have adopted Historic Preservation Elements, it is
often suggested that they integrate language about historic preservation
into other General Plan elements, such as land use and housing, to ensure
compatibility among elements. A Historic Preservation Element is a strong
indicator of a jurisdiction’s commitment to establishing or strengthening
a historic preservation program.

While a Historic Preservation Element is part of a General Plan, a Historic
Preservation Plan is a similar yet independent document existing outside
a jurisdiction’s General Plan.

Use of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

While we did not score specifically on this category, the effective use of
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is essential to a strong
preservation program. A community’s use of CEQA is difficult to quantify
yet important to track because of its critical role in how a community ap-
proaches preservation.

CEQA is a state law passed in 1970 that declares it state policy to “develop
and maintain a high-quality environment now and in the future, and to
take all action necessary to protect, rehabilitate, and enhance the envi-
The Conservancy has an easy-to-use guide to CEQA,
available in English or Spanish on the Resources ronmental quality of the state.” This environmental quality includes sig-
section of our website at laconservancy.org. nificant, irreplaceable examples of our cultural heritage.

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