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4. Environmental Setti <br />4.1 INTRODUCTION <br />The purpose of this section is to provide, pursuant to provisions of the California Environmental Quality <br />Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines, a "description of the physical environmental conditions in the <br />vicinity of the project, as they exist at the time the notice of preparation is published, from both a local and a <br />regional perspective." The environmental setting will provide a set of baseline physical conditions from which <br />the lead agenc-r- will determine the significance of environmental impacts resulting from the proposed project. <br />4.2 REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING <br />4.2.1 Regional Location <br />The project area lies in the western portion of the City of Santa Ana (City), as shown in Figure 3 -1, Regional <br />Location. The City is in central Orange County and surrounded by the cities of Garden Grove, Orange, <br />Tustin, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Westminster, and Fountain Valley. Santa Ana is a fully developed city, <br />approximately 10 miles northeast of the Pacific Ocean, and regional access is provided primarily by Interstate <br />5 (1 -5), State Route 22 (SR 22), and SR 55; secondary access to the City is provided by I -405. <br />4.2.2 Regional Planning Considerations <br />Air Quality and Global Climate Change <br />The City is in the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB), which is managed by the South Coast Air Quality <br />Management District. The air pollutants emitted into the ambient air by stationary and mobile sources are <br />regulated by federal and state law. These regulated air pollutants are known as criteria air pollutants and are: <br />carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide, coarse inhalable <br />particulate matter (PM3o), fine inhalable particulate matter (PMzs), and lead. VOC and NOx are criteria <br />pollutant precursors and go on to form secondary criteria pollutants, such as ozone (03), through chemical <br />and photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. Air basins are classified as attainment / nonattainment areas <br />for particular pollutants depending on whether they meet ambient air quality standards (AAQS) for that <br />pollutant. The SoCAB is designated nonattainment for 03, PM? s, PM30, and lead (Los Angeles County only) <br />under the California and National AAQS and nonattainment for nitrogen (NO2) under the California AAQS. <br />The proposed projects consistency with the applicable AAQS is discussed in Section 5.2, Air Quality. <br />October 2014 Page 4 -1 <br />