Measure barring suits against Fox plan goes right to Legislature floor.

The so-called "Fox Bill," which would prohibit lawsuits against the 20th Century Fox expansion project, will bypass any further legislative committees and go directly to the floor of the state Senate this week for a vote, as opponents had feared.

Bob Franzoia of the Senate Appropriations Committee staff said last week that a determination has been made that the bill would not have a significant fiscal impact on the state, and therefore the legislation will be allowed to bypass the Appropriations Committee hearing scheduled for Aug. 16, under the Senate's Rule 28.8.

Opponents of the bill, who include homeowners, the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles City Council, say they did not learn about the measure in time to testify at its hearing before the Senate Policy Committee on July 13. That was the Fox measure's only committee hearing because the part of the bill protecting Fox from litigation is actually an amendment to a California Environmental Quality Act bill that had earlier been approved by the state Assembly.

The bill as amended states that the Fox project complies with all local zoning and planning requirements and may not be challenged in court based on CEQA.

One representative of the Sierra Club appeared at the policy committee hearing, but the environmental organization said it had only a few hours to prepare. Fox Senior Vice President David Handelman said last week that he spoke to representatives of the Sierra Club about the bill at least one day before the hearing.

The sponsor of the bill (and the amendment) -- Assemblyman Stan Statham, R-Redding -- said if the Sierra Club and other opponents didn't know about the Fox amendment "it's because of their inefficiency." The amendment was authored and available to the public three to four days prior to the hearing, as required by law, said Statham.

"The only decent excuse is that there's just too many bills and they couldn't keep track of them all," said Statham.

Since witnesses are not allowed on the floor of the Senate, the senators likely will approve the bill without hearing testimony from its opponents -- although Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica, is expected to speak against it. Statham said Hayden has "gone ballistic" over the bill.

The bill will then return to the floor of the Assembly for a concurrence vote on the Fox amendment -- again, without any public testimony being taken.

"I expect considerable debate, but I don't expect a big problem," said Statham.

Fox officials have said they need the bill because they spent more than three years winning City Council approval of their $200-million, Century City project and can't afford to spend another two years battling foes in the courts.

Opponents of the bill counter that it could set a dangerous precedent for state meddling in local government, and in terms of developers seeking state protection from homeowner groups and litigation.

"People are just looking to sensationalize this story," said Statham's legislative assistant, Susan Cusack. "They (Fox) have not circumvented CEQA. All we're saying is ... enough is enough."

She said a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee would be "a waste of everybody's time."

In related news, a U.S. Appeals Court panel of three judges, on Aug. 5, took under advisement a case concerning Fox's tract map for condominium development on its studio lot.

Fox obtained an extension of the tract map until 1994, so it would have the option of selling the land for condominium development should the studio expansion plan fall through. Local homeowners, joined by the City of Beverly Hills, have challenged the tract map extension.