Bill Text: CA SB6 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Residential development: available land.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-09 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 667, Statutes of 2019. [SB6 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB6-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  September 06, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  April 23, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  February 27, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 6


Introduced by Senators Beall and McGuire
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Chiu)

December 03, 2018


An act to amend Sections 65583 and 65585 of, and to add Section 11011.8 to, add Sections 11011.8 and 65583.3 to the Government Code, relating to residential development.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 6, as amended, Beall. Residential development: available land.
Existing law requires each state agency to make a review of all proprietary state lands over which it has jurisdiction, subject to certain exceptions, and to report to the Department of General Services on those lands in excess of its foreseeable needs. Existing law requires the jurisdiction over lands reported excess to be transferred to the department upon request. Existing law requires the Department of General Services to report to the Legislature annually on the lands declared excess. Existing law requires a city or county to have a general plan for development with a housing element and to submit the housing element to the Department of Housing and Community Development prior to adoption or amendment. Existing law requires that the housing element include an inventory of land suitable and available to residential development, as specified.
This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to furnish the Department of General Services with a list of local lands suitable and available for residential development as identified by a local government as part of the housing element of its general plan. The bill would require the Department of General Services to create a database of that information and information regarding state lands determined or declared excess and to make this database available and searchable by the public by means of a link on its internet website. The bill would require for any housing element adopted on or after January 1, 2021, that the local planning agency submit an electronic copy of the inventory of land suitable and available for residential development be submitted to the Department of Housing and Community Development. By requiring local governments to electronically submit the inventory of land suitable and available for residential development to the department, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to review, adopt, amend, and repeal the standards, forms, or definitions to implement provisions regarding the inventory of land suitable and available to for residential development. The bill would require a local government to prepare the inventory pursuant to those standards, forms, and definitions.
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.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 11011.8 is added to the Government Code, to read:

11011.8.
 (a) On or before December 31 of each year, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall furnish to the Department of General Services a list of lands suitable and available for residential development that were identified by a local government as part of the housing element of its general plan pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583 and subdivision (b) of Section 65583.3 and that were submitted to the Department of Housing and Community Development pursuant to Section 65585. 65583.3.
(b) The Department of General Services shall create a database of information that was furnished to it pursuant to subdivision (a) and information regarding the state lands determined or declared excess pursuant to Section 11011. The department shall make this database available and searchable by the public by means of a link on its internet website.
(c) The Department of General Services may rely on the accuracy of the information submitted by a local government pursuant to Section 65583.3 to the Department of Housing and Community Development in creating the database pursuant to subdivision (b).

SEC. 2.

 Section 65583.3 is added to the Government Code, to read:

65583.3.
 (a) For a housing element or amendment adopted on or after January 1, 2021, the planning agency shall submit to the department an electronic copy of its inventory of land suitable for residential development developed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583 and subdivision (b) of this section with the copy of its housing element or amendment submitted pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 65585. The local government shall ensure, to the best of its knowledge, that the inventory of land submitted to the department is true and correct.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 65301, each local government shall prepare the inventory required under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583 using standards, forms, and definitions adopted by the department. The department may review, adopt, amend, and repeal the standards, forms, or definitions to implement this subdivision and Subdivision (a) of Section 65583. Any standards, forms, or definitions adopted to implement this subdivision and subdivision (a) of Section 65583 shall not be subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2.

SEC. 3.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because this act provides for offsetting savings to local agencies or school districts that result in no net costs to the local agencies or school districts, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.
SEC. 2.Section 65583 of the Government Code is amended to read:
65583.

The housing element shall consist of an identification and analysis of existing and projected housing needs and a statement of goals, policies, quantified objectives, financial resources, and scheduled programs for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing. The housing element shall identify adequate sites for housing, including rental housing, factory-built housing, mobilehomes, and emergency shelters, and shall make adequate provision for the existing and projected needs of all economic segments of the community. The element shall contain all of the following:

(a)An assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to the meeting of these needs. The assessment and inventory shall include all of the following:

(1)An analysis of population and employment trends and documentation of projections and a quantification of the locality’s existing and projected housing needs for all income levels, including extremely low income households, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 50105 and Section 50106 of the Health and Safety Code. These existing and projected needs shall include the locality’s share of the regional housing need in accordance with Section 65584. Local agencies shall calculate the subset of very low income households allotted under Section 65584 that qualify as extremely low income households. The local agency may either use available census data to calculate the percentage of very low income households that qualify as extremely low income households or presume that 50 percent of the very low income households qualify as extremely low income households. The number of extremely low income households and very low income households shall equal the jurisdiction’s allocation of very low income households pursuant to Section 65584.

(2)An analysis and documentation of household characteristics, including level of payment compared to ability to pay, housing characteristics, including overcrowding, and housing stock condition.

(3)(A)An inventory of land suitable and available for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level, and an analysis of the relationship of zoning and public facilities and services to these sites.

(B)Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 65301, each local government shall prepare the inventory required under this paragraph using standards, forms, and definitions adopted by the department. The department may review, adopt, amend, and repeal the standards, forms, or definitions to implement this subdivision. Any standards, forms, or definitions adopted to implement this subdivision shall not be subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2.

(4)(A)The identification of a zone or zones where emergency shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use or other discretionary permit. The identified zone or zones shall include sufficient capacity to accommodate the need for emergency shelter identified in paragraph (7), except that each local government shall identify a zone or zones that can accommodate at least one year-round emergency shelter. If the local government cannot identify a zone or zones with sufficient capacity, the local government shall include a program to amend its zoning ordinance to meet the requirements of this paragraph within one year of the adoption of the housing element. The local government may identify additional zones where emergency shelters are permitted with a conditional use permit. The local government shall also demonstrate that existing or proposed permit processing, development, and management standards are objective and encourage and facilitate the development of, or conversion to, emergency shelters. Emergency shelters may only be subject to those development and management standards that apply to residential or commercial development within the same zone except that a local government may apply written, objective standards that include all of the following:

(i)The maximum number of beds or persons permitted to be served nightly by the facility.

(ii)Off-street parking based upon demonstrated need, provided that the standards do not require more parking for emergency shelters than for other residential or commercial uses within the same zone.

(iii)The size and location of exterior and interior onsite waiting and client intake areas.

(iv)The provision of onsite management.

(v)The proximity to other emergency shelters, provided that emergency shelters are not required to be more than 300 feet apart.

(vi)The length of stay.

(vii)Lighting.

(viii)Security during hours that the emergency shelter is in operation.

(B)The permit processing, development, and management standards applied under this paragraph shall not be deemed to be discretionary acts within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code).

(C)A local government that can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department the existence of one or more emergency shelters either within its jurisdiction or pursuant to a multijurisdictional agreement that can accommodate that jurisdiction’s need for emergency shelter identified in paragraph (7) may comply with the zoning requirements of subparagraph (A) by identifying a zone or zones where new emergency shelters are allowed with a conditional use permit.

(D)A local government with an existing ordinance or ordinances that comply with this paragraph shall not be required to take additional action to identify zones for emergency shelters. The housing element must only describe how existing ordinances, policies, and standards are consistent with the requirements of this paragraph.

(5)An analysis of potential and actual governmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the types of housing identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and for persons with disabilities as identified in the analysis pursuant to paragraph (7), including land use controls, building codes and their enforcement, site improvements, fees and other exactions required of developers, local processing and permit procedures, and any locally adopted ordinances that directly impact the cost and supply of residential development. The analysis shall also demonstrate local efforts to remove governmental constraints that hinder the locality from meeting its share of the regional housing need in accordance with Section 65584 and from meeting the need for housing for persons with disabilities, supportive housing, transitional housing, and emergency shelters identified pursuant to paragraph (7).

(6)An analysis of potential and actual nongovernmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the availability of financing, the price of land, the cost of construction, the requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated in the analysis required by subdivision (c) of Section 65583.2, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits for that housing development that hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need in accordance with Section 65584. The analysis shall also demonstrate local efforts to remove nongovernmental constraints that create a gap between the locality’s planning for the development of housing for all income levels and the construction of that housing.

(7)An analysis of any special housing needs, such as those of the elderly; persons with disabilities, including a developmental disability, as defined in Section 4512 of the Welfare and Institutions Code; large families; farmworkers; families with female heads of households; and families and persons in need of emergency shelter. The need for emergency shelter shall be assessed based on annual and seasonal need. The need for emergency shelter may be reduced by the number of supportive housing units that are identified in an adopted 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness and that are either vacant or for which funding has been identified to allow construction during the planning period. An analysis of special housing needs by a city or county may include an analysis of the need for frequent user coordinated care housing services.

(8)An analysis of opportunities for energy conservation with respect to residential development. Cities and counties are encouraged to include weatherization and energy efficiency improvements as part of publicly subsidized housing rehabilitation projects. This may include energy efficiency measures that encompass the building envelope, its heating and cooling systems, and its electrical system.

(9)An analysis of existing assisted housing developments that are eligible to change from low-income housing uses during the next 10 years due to termination of subsidy contracts, mortgage prepayment, or expiration of restrictions on use. “Assisted housing developments,” for the purpose of this section, shall mean multifamily rental housing that receives governmental assistance under federal programs listed in subdivision (a) of Section 65863.10, state and local multifamily revenue bond programs, local redevelopment programs, the federal Community Development Block Grant Program, or local in-lieu fees. “Assisted housing developments” shall also include multifamily rental units that were developed pursuant to a local inclusionary housing program or used to qualify for a density bonus pursuant to Section 65916.

(A)The analysis shall include a listing of each development by project name and address, the type of governmental assistance received, the earliest possible date of change from low-income use, and the total number of elderly and nonelderly units that could be lost from the locality’s low-income housing stock in each year during the 10-year period. For purposes of state and federally funded projects, the analysis required by this subparagraph need only contain information available on a statewide basis.

(B)The analysis shall estimate the total cost of producing new rental housing that is comparable in size and rent levels, to replace the units that could change from low-income use, and an estimated cost of preserving the assisted housing developments. This cost analysis for replacement housing may be done aggregately for each five-year period and does not have to contain a project-by-project cost estimate.

(C)The analysis shall identify public and private nonprofit corporations known to the local government that have legal and managerial capacity to acquire and manage these housing developments.

(D)The analysis shall identify and consider the use of all federal, state, and local financing and subsidy programs that can be used to preserve, for lower income households, the assisted housing developments, identified in this paragraph, including, but not limited to, federal Community Development Block Grant Program funds, tax increment funds received by a redevelopment agency of the community, and administrative fees received by a housing authority operating within the community. In considering the use of these financing and subsidy programs, the analysis shall identify the amounts of funds under each available program that have not been legally obligated for other purposes and that could be available for use in preserving assisted housing developments.

(b)(1)A statement of the community’s goals, quantified objectives, and policies relative to the maintenance, preservation, improvement, and development of housing.

(2)It is recognized that the total housing needs identified pursuant to subdivision (a) may exceed available resources and the community’s ability to satisfy this need within the content of the general plan requirements outlined in Article 5 (commencing with Section 65300). Under these circumstances, the quantified objectives need not be identical to the total housing needs. The quantified objectives shall establish the maximum number of housing units by income category, including extremely low income, that can be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over a five-year time period.

(c)A program that sets forth a schedule of actions during the planning period, each with a timeline for implementation, that may recognize that certain programs are ongoing, such that there will be beneficial impacts of the programs within the planning period, that the local government is undertaking or intends to undertake to implement the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the housing element through the administration of land use and development controls, the provision of regulatory concessions and incentives, the utilization of appropriate federal and state financing and subsidy programs when available, and the utilization of moneys in a low- and moderate-income housing fund of an agency if the locality has established a redevelopment project area pursuant to the Community Redevelopment Law (Division 24 (commencing with Section 33000) of the Health and Safety Code). In order to make adequate provision for the housing needs of all economic segments of the community, the program shall do all of the following:

(1)Identify actions that will be taken to make sites available during the planning period with appropriate zoning and development standards and with services and facilities 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 sites identified in the inventory completed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) without rezoning, and to comply with the requirements of Section 65584.09. Sites shall be identified as needed to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of types of housing for all income levels, including multifamily rental housing, factory-built housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing.

(A)Where the inventory of sites, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the need for groups of all household income levels pursuant to Section 65584, rezoning of those sites, including adoption of minimum density and development standards, for jurisdictions with an eight-year housing element planning period pursuant to Section 65588, shall be completed no later than three years after either the date the housing element is adopted pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 65585 or the date that is 90 days after receipt of comments from the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 65585, whichever is earlier, unless the deadline is extended pursuant to subdivision (f). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a local government that fails to adopt a housing element within 120 days of the statutory deadline in Section 65588 for adoption of the housing element, rezoning of those sites, including adoption of minimum density and development standards, shall be completed no later than three years and 120 days from the statutory deadline in Section 65588 for adoption of the housing element.

(B)Where the inventory of sites, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the need for groups of all household income levels pursuant to Section 65584, the program shall identify sites that can be developed for housing within the planning period pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 65583.2. The identification of sites shall include all components specified in Section 65583.2.

(C)Where the inventory of sites pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the need for farmworker housing, the program shall provide for sufficient sites to meet the need with zoning that permits farmworker housing use by right, including density and development standards that could accommodate and facilitate the feasibility of the development of farmworker housing for low- and very low income households.

(2)Assist in the development of adequate housing to meet the needs of extremely low, very low, low-, and moderate-income households.

(3)Address and, where appropriate and legally possible, remove governmental and nongovernmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and development of housing, including housing for all income levels and housing for persons with disabilities. The program shall remove constraints to, and provide reasonable accommodations for housing designed for, intended for occupancy by, or with supportive services for, persons with disabilities. Transitional housing and supportive housing shall be considered a residential use of property and shall be subject only to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. Supportive housing, as defined in Section 65650, shall be a use by right in all zones where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted, as provided in Article 11 (commencing with Section 65650).

(4)Conserve and improve the condition of the existing affordable housing stock, which may include addressing ways to mitigate the loss of dwelling units demolished by public or private action.

(5)Promote and affirmatively further fair housing opportunities and promote housing throughout the community or communities for all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status, or disability, and other characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3 of Title 2), Section 65008, and any other state and federal fair housing and planning law.

(6)Preserve for lower income households the assisted housing developments identified pursuant to paragraph (9) of subdivision (a). The program for preservation of the assisted housing developments shall utilize, to the extent necessary, all available federal, state, and local financing and subsidy programs identified in paragraph (9) of subdivision (a), except where a community has other urgent needs for which alternative funding sources are not available. The program may include strategies that involve local regulation and technical assistance.

(7)Include an identification of the agencies and officials responsible for the implementation of the various actions and the means by which consistency will be achieved with other general plan elements and community goals.

(8)Include a diligent effort by the local government to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element, and the program shall describe this effort.

(9)(A)Affirmatively further fair housing in accordance with Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 8899.50) of Division 1 of Title 2. The program shall include an assessment of fair housing in the jurisdiction that shall include all of the following components:

(i)A summary of fair housing issues in the jurisdiction and an assessment of the jurisdiction’s fair housing enforcement and fair housing outreach capacity.

(ii)An analysis of available federal, state, and local data and knowledge to identify integration and segregation patterns and trends, racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunity, and disproportionate housing needs within the jurisdiction, including displacement risk.

(iii)An assessment of the contributing factors for the fair housing issues identified under clause (ii).

(iv)An identification of the jurisdiction’s fair housing priorities and goals, giving highest priority to those factors identified in clause (iii) that limit or deny fair housing choice or access to opportunity, or negatively impact fair housing or civil rights compliance, and identifying the metrics and milestones for determining what fair housing results will be achieved.

(v)Strategies and actions to implement those priorities and goals, which may include, but are not limited to, enhancing mobility strategies and encouraging development of new affordable housing in areas of opportunity, as well as place-based strategies to encourage community revitalization, including preservation of existing affordable housing, and protecting existing residents from displacement.

(B)A jurisdiction that completes or revises an assessment of fair housing pursuant to Subpart A (commencing with Section 5.150) of Part 5 of Subtitle A of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as published in Volume 80 of the Federal Register, Number 136, page 42272, dated July 16, 2015, or an analysis of impediments to fair housing choice in accordance with the requirements of Section 91.225 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations in effect prior to August 17, 2015, may incorporate relevant portions of that assessment or revised assessment of fair housing or analysis or revised analysis of impediments to fair housing into its housing element.

(C)The requirements of this paragraph shall apply to housing elements due to be revised pursuant to Section 65588 on or after January 1, 2021.

(d)(1)A local government may satisfy all or part of its requirement to identify a zone or zones suitable for the development of emergency shelters pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) by adopting and implementing a multijurisdictional agreement, with a maximum of two other adjacent communities, that requires the participating jurisdictions to develop at least one year-round emergency shelter within two years of the beginning of the planning period.

(2)The agreement shall allocate a portion of the new shelter capacity to each jurisdiction as credit toward its emergency shelter need, and each jurisdiction shall describe how the capacity was allocated as part of its housing element.

(3)Each member jurisdiction of a multijurisdictional agreement shall describe in its housing element all of the following:

(A)How the joint facility will meet the jurisdiction’s emergency shelter need.

(B)The jurisdiction’s contribution to the facility for both the development and ongoing operation and management of the facility.

(C)The amount and source of the funding that the jurisdiction contributes to the facility.

(4)The aggregate capacity claimed by the participating jurisdictions in their housing elements shall not exceed the actual capacity of the shelter.

(e)Except as otherwise provided in this article, amendments to this article that alter the required content of a housing element shall apply to both of the following:

(1)A housing element or housing element amendment prepared pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 65588 or Section 65584.02, when a city, county, or city and county submits a draft to the department for review pursuant to Section 65585 more than 90 days after the effective date of the amendment to this section.

(2)Any housing element or housing element amendment prepared pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 65588 or Section 65584.02, when the city, county, or city and county fails to submit the first draft to the department before the due date specified in Section 65588 or 65584.02.

(f)The deadline for completing required rezoning pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall be extended by one year if the local government has completed the rezoning at densities sufficient to accommodate at least 75 percent of the units for low- and very low income households and if the legislative body at the conclusion of a public hearing determines, based upon substantial evidence, that any of the following circumstances exist:

(1)The local government has been unable to complete the rezoning because of the action or inaction beyond the control of the local government of any other state, federal, or local agency.

(2)The local government is unable to complete the rezoning because of infrastructure deficiencies due to fiscal or regulatory constraints.

(3)The local government must undertake a major revision to its general plan in order to accommodate the housing-related policies of a sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy adopted pursuant to Section 65080.

The resolution and the findings shall be transmitted to the department together with a detailed budget and schedule for preparation and adoption of the required rezonings, including plans for citizen participation and expected interim action. The schedule shall provide for adoption of the required rezoning within one year of the adoption of the resolution.

(g)(1)If a local government fails to complete the rezoning by the deadline provided in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), as it may be extended pursuant to subdivision (f), except as provided in paragraph (2), a local government may not disapprove a housing development project, nor require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other locally imposed discretionary permit, or impose a condition that would render the project infeasible, if the housing development project (A) is proposed to be located on a site required to be rezoned pursuant to the program action required by that subparagraph and (B) complies with applicable, objective general plan and zoning standards and criteria, including design review standards, described in the program action required by that subparagraph. Any subdivision of sites shall be subject to the Subdivision Map Act (Division 2 (commencing with Section 66410)). Design review shall not constitute a “project” for purposes of Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code.

(2)A local government may disapprove a housing development described in paragraph (1) if it makes written findings supported by substantial evidence on the record that both of the following conditions exist:

(A)The housing development project would have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety unless the project is disapproved or approved upon the condition that the project be developed at a lower density. As used in this paragraph, a “specific, adverse impact” means a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact, based on objective, identified written public health or safety standards, policies, or conditions as they existed on the date the application was deemed complete.

(B)There is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the adverse impact identified pursuant to paragraph (1), other than the disapproval of the housing development project or the approval of the project upon the condition that it be developed at a lower density.

(3)The applicant or any interested person may bring an action to enforce this subdivision. If a court finds that the local agency disapproved a project or conditioned its approval in violation of this subdivision, the court shall issue an order or judgment compelling compliance within 60 days. The court shall retain jurisdiction to ensure that its order or judgment is carried out. If the court determines that its order or judgment has not been carried out within 60 days, the court may issue further orders to ensure that the purposes and policies of this subdivision are fulfilled. In any such action, the city, county, or city and county shall bear the burden of proof.

(4)For purposes of this subdivision, “housing development project” means a project to construct residential units for which the project developer provides sufficient legal commitments to the appropriate local agency to ensure the continued availability and use of at least 49 percent of the housing units for very low, low-, and moderate-income households with an affordable housing cost or affordable rent, as defined in Section 50052.5 or 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, respectively, for the period required by the applicable financing.

(h)An action to enforce the program actions of the housing element shall be brought pursuant to Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

SEC. 3.Section 65585 of the Government Code is amended to read:
65585.

(a)In the preparation of its housing element, each city and county shall consider the guidelines adopted by the department pursuant to Section 50459 of the Health and Safety Code. Those guidelines shall be advisory to each city or county in the preparation of its housing element.

(b)(1)At least 90 days prior to adoption of its housing element, or at least 60 days prior to the adoption of an amendment to this element, the planning agency shall submit a draft element or draft amendment to the department.

(2)The planning agency staff shall collect and compile the public comments regarding the housing element received by the city, county, or city and county, and provide these comments to each member of the legislative body before it adopts the housing element.

(3)The department shall review the draft and report its written findings to the planning agency within 90 days of its receipt of the draft in the case of an adoption or within 60 days of its receipt in the case of a draft amendment.

(c)In the preparation of its findings, the department may consult with any public agency, group, or person. The department shall receive and consider any written comments from any public agency, group, or person regarding the draft or adopted element or amendment under review.

(d)In its written findings, the department shall determine whether the draft element or draft amendment substantially complies with this article.

(e)Prior to the adoption of its draft element or draft amendment, the legislative body shall consider the findings made by the department. If the department’s findings are not available within the time limits set by this section, the legislative body may act without them.

(f)If the department finds that the draft element or draft amendment does not substantially comply with this article, the legislative body shall take one of the following actions:

(1)Change the draft element or draft amendment to substantially comply with this article.

(2)Adopt the draft element or draft amendment without changes. The legislative body shall include in its resolution of adoption written findings which explain the reasons the legislative body believes that the draft element or draft amendment substantially complies with this article despite the findings of the department.

(g)Promptly following the adoption of its element or amendment, the planning agency shall submit a copy to the department. For any element or amendment adopted on or after January 1, 2021, the planning agency shall submit to the department an electronic copy of its inventory of land suitable for residential development, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583.

(h)The department shall, within 90 days, review adopted housing elements or amendments and report its findings to the planning agency.

(i)(1)(A)The department shall 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 Section 65583, including any failure to implement any program actions included in the housing element pursuant to Section 65583. The department shall issue written findings to the city, county, or city and county as to whether the action or failure to act substantially complies with this article, and provide a reasonable time no longer than 30 days for the city, county, or city and county to respond to the findings before taking any other action authorized by this section, including the action authorized by subparagraph (B).

(B)If the department finds that the action or failure to act by the city, county, or city and county does not substantially comply with this article, and if it has issued findings pursuant to this section that an amendment to the housing element substantially complies with this article, the department may revoke its findings until it determines that the city, county, or city and county has come into compliance with this article.

(2)The department may consult with any local government, public agency, group, or person, and shall receive and consider any written comments from any public agency, group, or person, regarding the action or failure to act by the city, county, or city and county described in paragraph (1), in determining whether the housing element substantially complies with this article.

(j)The department shall notify the city, county, or city and county and may notify the Office of the Attorney General that the city, county, or city and county is in violation of state law if the department finds that the housing element or an amendment to this element, or any action or failure to act described in subdivision (i), does not substantially comply with this article or that any local government has taken an action in violation of the following:

(1)Housing Accountability Act (Section 65589.5 of the Government Code).

(2)Section 65863 of the Government Code.

(3)Chapter 4.3 (commencing with Section 65915) of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code.

(4)Section 65008 of the Government Code.

SEC. 4.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because this act provides for offsetting savings to local agencies or school districts that result in no net costs to the local agencies or school districts, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.

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