AB 1086 (Daly D) Housing: regional housing needs.
Introduced: 2/16/2017
Last Amended: 7/5/2017
Status: 9/1/2017-Approved by the Governor. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 206, Statutes of 2017.

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires the housing element, in turn, to include, among other things, an assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to the meeting of those needs. That law further requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, for the 4th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region, based upon population projections produced by the Department of Finance and regional population forecasts used in preparing regional transportation plans, in consultation with each council of governments. Current law includes a declaration of legislative intent regarding the allocation of regional housing need. This bill would make additional findings regarding the relationship between the shortage of housing and the state’s environmental policies.

Position: Watch

SB 166 (Skinner D) Residential density and affordability.
Introduced: 1/23/2017
Last Amended: 7/3/2017
Status: 9/29/2017-Approved by the Governor. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 367, Statutes of 2017.

Summary:

Would prohibit a city, county, or city and county from permitting or causing its inventory of sites identified in a housing element to be insufficient to meet its remaining unmet share of the regional housing need for lower and moderate-income households. The bill also would expand the definition of “lower residential density” if the local jurisdiction has not adopted a housing element for the current planning period or the adopted housing element is not in substantial compliance, as specified.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires a planning agency, after a legislative body has adopted all or part of a general plan, to provide an annual report to the legislative body, the Office of Planning and Research, and the Department of Housing and Community Development on the status of the general plan and progress in meeting the community’s share of regional housing needs. Current law requires the housing element portion of the annual report to be prepared through the use of forms and definitions adopted by the department pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act. This bill would require the housing element portion of the annual report to be prepared through the use of standards, forms, and definitions adopted by the department.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires each city, county, and city and county to prepare and adopt a general plan that contains certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. Current law requires the housing element to contain, among other things, an inventory of land suitable for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having the potential for redevelopment. This bill would require the inventory of land to be available for residential development in addition to being suitable for residential development and to include vacant sites and sites that have realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires, after the legislative body of the city or county has adopted all or part of a general plan, the planning agency to investigate and make recommendations to the legislative body of the city or county regarding reasonable and practical means to implement the general plan or element and to provide by April 1 of each year an annual report to the legislative body, the Office of Planning and Research, and the Department of Housing and Community Development that includes specified information pertaining to the implementation of the general plan. Current law excludes a charter city from these requirements. This bill would require that this report additionally include the number of housing development applications received in the prior year, units included in all development applications in the prior year, units approved and disapproved in the prior year, and a listing of sites rezoned to accommodate that portion of the city’s or county’s share of the regional housing need for each income level that could not be accommodated on specified sites.

Position: Watch

AB 72 (Santiago D) Housing.
Introduced: 12/16/2016
Last Amended: 7/12/2017
Status: 9/29/2017-Approved by the Governor. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 370, Statutes of 2017.

Summary:

Current law prescribes requirements for the preparation of the housing element, including a requirement that a planning agency submit a draft of the element or draft amendment to the element to the Department of Housing and Community Development prior to the adoption of the element or amendment to the element. Current law requires the department to review the draft and report its written findings, as specified. This bill would require the department to also review any action or failure to act by the city, county, or city and county that it determines is inconsistent with an adopted housing element or a specified provision and to issue written findings, as specified, whether the action or failure to act substantially complies with the housing element.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires the housing element, in turn, to include, among other things, an assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to the meeting of those needs. That law further requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, for the 4th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region, based upon population projections produced by the Department of Finance and regional population forecasts used in preparing regional transportation plans, in consultation with each council of governments. Current law includes a declaration of legislative intent regarding the allocation of regional housing need. This bill would make additional findings regarding the relationship between the shortage of housing and the state’s environmental policies.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Planning and Zoning Law requires each city, county, and city and county to prepare and adopt a general plan that contains certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. Current law requires the housing element to contain, among other things, an inventory of land suitable for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having the potential for redevelopment. This bill would require the inventory of land to be available for residential development in addition to being suitable for residential development and to include vacant sites and sites that have realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level.

Position: Watch

Summary:

Would authorize the legislative body of any county or city to adopt ordinances to require, as a condition of development of residential rental units, that the development include a certain percentage of residential rental units affordable to, and occupied by, moderate-income, lower income, very low income, or extremely low income households or by persons and families of low or moderate income, as specified, and would declare the intent of the Legislature in adding this provision.

Position: Watch

Summary:

Under the the Housing Accountability Act, the local agency may disapprove or condition approval of a housing development project or emergency shelter if, among other reasons, the housing development project or emergency shelter is inconsistent with both the jurisdiction’s zoning ordinance and general plan land use designation, as provided. This bill would specify that a housing development project or emergency shelter is deemed consistent, compliant, and in conformity with an applicable plan, program, policy, ordinance, standard, requirement, or other similar provision if there is substantial evidence that would allow a reasonable person to conclude that the housing development project or emergency shelter is consistent, compliant, or in conformity.

Position: Watch

AB 1598 (Mullin D) Affordable housing authorities.
Introduced: 2/17/2017
Last Amended: 8/21/2017
Status: 10/13/2017-Approved by the Governor. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 764, Statutes of 2017.

Summary:

Would authorize a city, county, or city and county to adopt a resolution creating an affordable housing authority with power limited to providing low- and moderate-income housing and affordable workforce housing, as defined, funded through a low- and moderate-income housing fund, as specified. The bill would prohibit certain local government entities from participating in the authority. The bill would authorize an authority created pursuant to those provisions to have boundaries that are identical to the boundaries of the city, county, or city and county that created the authority.

Position: Watch

Summary:

The Housing Accountability Act, among other things, prohibits a local agency from disapproving, or conditioning approval in a manner than renders infeasible, a housing development project for very low, low-, or moderate-income households or an emergency shelter unless the local agency makes specified written findings based upon substantial evidence in the record. This bill would require the findings of the local agency to instead be based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record.