Bill Text: CA SB489 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Local agency formation commissions: written policies and procedures: Permit Streamlining Act: housing development projects.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2025-10-10 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 518, Statutes of 2025. [SB489 Detail]
Download: California-2025-SB489-Chaptered.html
Senate Bill
No. 489
CHAPTER 518
An act to amend Sections 56300 and 65940 of the Government Code, relating to local government.
[
Approved by
Governor
October 10, 2025.
Filed with
Secretary of State
October 10, 2025.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 489, Arreguín.
Local agency formation commissions: written policies and procedures: Permit Streamlining Act: housing development projects.
(1) The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 governs the procedures for the formation and change of organization of cities and special districts and establishes a local agency formation commission in each county consisting of members appointed as provided. The act expresses the intent of the Legislature that each local agency formation commission, by January 1, 2002, establish written policies and procedures and exercise its powers in a way that encourages and provides planned, well-ordered, efficient urban development patterns, as specified. The act requires these written policies and procedures to include forms to be used for various submittals to the commission, as provided. The act requires each commission to provide access to notices and other information to the public on an internet website, as specified, including notice of all
public hearings and commission meetings.
This bill would require that each local agency formation commission establish the written policies and procedures described above. The bill would require that the written policies and procedures include any forms necessary for a complete application to the commission concerning a proposed change of organization or reorganization. The bill would require each commission to provide access to its written policies and procedures to the public, including any forms necessary for a complete application for a change of organization or reorganization, through its internet website.
(2) The Permit Streamlining Act, among other things, requires a public agency to compile a list of
the information required from an applicant for a development project, as provided.
This bill
would require a public agency, for each type of approval issued in connection with a housing development project, as defined, to publish online the above-described list, including the criteria that the public agency will apply in order to determine the completeness of the development application and the name of the type of approval, as provided.
(3) By increasing the duties of local agency formation commissions in establishing and publishing written policies and procedures and of local planning officials in reviewing permit applications
for housing development projects, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 56300 of the Government Code is amended to read:56300.
(a) Each commission shall establish written policies and procedures and exercise its powers pursuant to this part in a manner consistent with those policies and procedures and that encourages and provides planned, well-ordered, efficient urban development patterns with appropriate consideration of preserving open-space and agricultural lands within those patterns.(b) Each commission with a proposal pending on January 1, 2001, shall, by March 31, 2001, hold a public hearing to discuss the adoption of policies and procedures to require the disclosure of contributions, expenditures, and independent expenditures authorized by Section 56100.1. Reporting requirements adopted pursuant to this section shall be effective upon the date of adoption or a later date specified
in the resolution. Any commission that does not have a proposal pending on January 1, 2001, shall hold a public hearing to discuss the adoption of those policies and procedures within 90 days of submission of a proposal or at any time prior to submission of a proposal. Once a hearing has taken place under this subdivision, no subsequent hearing shall be required except by petition of 100 or more registered voters residing in the county in which the commission is located.
(c) A commission may require, through the adoption of written policies and procedures, lobbying disclosure and reporting requirements for persons who attempt to influence pending decisions by commission members, staff, or consultants. Disclosure shall be made either to the commission’s executive officer, in which case it shall be posted on the commission’s internet website, if applicable, or to the recorder, registrar of voters, or clerk of the board of supervisors of the
county in which the commission is located. Each commission that on January 1, 2001, has a pending proposal, as defined in Section 56069 shall, by March 31, 2001, hold a public hearing to discuss the adoption of policies and procedures governing lobbying disclosure authorized by this subdivision. Reporting requirements adopted pursuant to this section shall be effective upon the date of adoption or on a later date specified in the resolution. Any commission that does not have a proposal pending on January 1, 2001, shall hold a public hearing to discuss the adoption of those policies and procedures within 90 days of submission of a proposal, or at any time prior to submission of a proposal.
(d) Any public hearings required by this section may be held concurrently.
(e) The written policies and procedures adopted by the commission shall include forms to be used for various submittals
to the commission including at a minimum a form for any protests to be filed with the commission and any forms necessary for a complete application to the commission concerning any proposed change of organization or reorganization.
(f) (1) Each commission shall establish and maintain, or otherwise provide access to notices, written policies and procedures, and other commission information for the public through an internet website.
(2) The written policies and procedures adopted by the commission shall require that notice of all public hearings, commission meetings, and any forms necessary for a complete application for a change of organization or reorganization shall be made available in electronic format on the commission’s internet website.
SEC. 2.
Section 65940 of the Government Code is amended to read:65940.
(a) (1) Each public agency shall compile one or more lists that shall specify in detail the information that will be required from any applicant for a development project. Each public agency shall revise the list of information required from an applicant to include a certification of compliance with Section 65962.5, and the statement of application required by Section 65943. Copies of the information, including the statement of application required by Section 65943, shall be made available to all applicants for development projects and to any person who requests the information.(2) An affected city or affected county, as defined in Section 66300, shall include the information necessary to determine compliance with the requirements of Article 2
(commencing with Section 66300.5) of Chapter 12 in the list compiled pursuant to paragraph (1).
(b) The list of information required from any applicant shall include, where applicable, identification of whether the proposed project is located within 1,000 feet of a military installation, beneath a low-level flight path or within special use airspace as defined in Section 21098 of the Public Resources Code, and within an urbanized area as defined in Section 65944.
(c) (1) A public agency that is not beneath a low-level flight path or not within special use airspace and does not contain a military installation is not required to change its list of information required from applicants to comply with subdivision (b).
(2) A public agency that is entirely urbanized, as defined in subdivision (e) of
Section 65944, with the exception of a jurisdiction that contains a military installation, is not required to change its list of information required from applicants to comply with subdivision (b).
(d) For each type of approval issued by a public agency in connection with a housing development project, the list required to be compiled by this section, including the criteria the public agency will apply in order to determine the completeness of an application described in Section 65941, and the name of the
type of approval, shall be published online.
(e) For purposes of this section, “development project” includes a housing development project as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 65905.5.
