LB City Hall remained "neutral" as LB area state Senator Ricardo Lara (D, LB-Huntington Park), state Senator Janet Nguyen (R, SE LB-West OC) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D, NLB-Lakewood-Paramount) voted for SB 35, which creates significant statutory consequences to a city's decisions on its land use element and zoning.
SB 35 allows (and in some cases requires) near-automatic (clerk-level) approval for developer-desired multi-unit housing projects and strip many of the public's current rights under the CA Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to object to neighborhood-impacts of the projects. SB 35 applies in cities like LB where building permits lag regional housing dictates and also includes incentives for developers that include below-market subsidized "affordable" housing in their projects. It also reduces and/or bypasses LB requirements that developers provide a certain minimum parking spaces for new housing (replacing LB standards with state standards requiring less parking, and in some cases within a state specified distance from public transit, no additional parking.).
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- SB 35's full text can be viewed by clicking here.
- The state Senate's legislative analysis of SB 35 can be viewed here.; pages 8-12 include a list of the bill's supporters and opposition.
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SB 35 was opposed by multiple CA cities (including Lakewood and Signal Hill) and by the League of CA Cities (advocacy group for over 400+ dues paying cities, including LB) based on the bill's impacts on local control. Although the LB City Council voted earlier this year to oppose Sacramento legislation that could reduce local control, the City of LB remained officially "neutral" on SB 35 and working with the author on amendments consistent with the city's policy on local control.
Less than a week before its final Sac'to votes, Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, LB-SP) and 3rd Councilwoman Suzie Price publicly opposed SB 35 with Mayor Robert Garcia quietly Tweeting to an individual that he opposed the measure.
In the days prior to the final legislative vote, Mayor Garcia flew to Lima, Peru for a photo-op (his presence not legally required) related to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (at which organizers have scheduled some Long Beach events) instead of traveling to Sacramento for a last ditch effort to stop or gain some amendments protecting LB's interests. SB 35 was supported by Sac'to Dem leadership, including Governor Brown, and was also supported by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
To our knowledge, Councilwoman Mungo (a member of the Council's "state legislation committee") remained publicly mum on SB 35. When asked about SB 35 at a Sept. 16 ELB neighborhood meeting organized by residents opposed to increased density, Councilwoman Mungo didn't cite SB 35's text, or any legal opinion or tell residents about SB 35's multiple opponents. Instead, Councilwoman Mungo offered residents what Sen. Nguyen told her:
[Mungo re Nguyen] I was on the phone with [state Senator] Janet Nguyen literally as I drove here...SB 35, according Janet Nguyen's reading of the bill and her interpretation, and this is out of her mouth, not a staffer, that each time a property would like to invoke SB 35, they would need city approval, and I asked her what her opinion is on whether or not the law precludes the City of Long Beach from including city approval meaning the Council, and if not the Council, the Planning Commission. And her reading of it, and her discussion with many cities, is that we would still be able to maintain that control. So I will work on that to make sure we still maintain that control.
Sen. Nguyen and Councilwoman Mungo are both Republicans seeking re-election to their respective offices. They're both scheduled to appear later today (Sept. 28) at a LB Area Republican Party mixer (de facto fundraiser for their respective re-election candidacies.)
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For a full list of supporters/opposition on SB 35's final passage, click here.
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Hardwood Floor Specialists
Call (562) 422-2800 or (714) 836-7050
