§ 1230.020.Generally

This section sets the default rule for the entire title: unless some other statute specifically says otherwise, any public entity or person exercising the power of eminent domain in California has to follow the procedures set out in this title. It's the provision that makes the Eminent Domain Law the governing framework rather than one option among several.

The "except as otherwise specifically provided by statute" clause leaves room for narrower statutes elsewhere in California law -- in the Education Code, Health and Safety Code, Public Utilities Code, and similar sources -- that authorize particular entities to condemn property for particular purposes. Those grants of authority still have to say so specifically; a general reference to acquiring property somewhere else in the codes doesn't create an exception to this title's procedures.

Section 1230.030, right after this one, makes clear that having the power doesn't mean having to use it -- a public entity can always choose purchase or negotiation instead.