AB 2485: Regional housing need: determination.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, which includes, among other mandatory elements, a housing element. That law requires, for the 4th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, the Department of Housing and Community Development (department), in consultation with each council of governments, where applicable, to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region, region, at least 2 years prior to the scheduled revision of the housing element, as specified. That law requires the departments determination to be based upon population projections produced by the Department of Finance and regional population forecasts developed by the council of governments and used for the preparation of the regional transportation plan, as specified. That law also requires the department to meet and consult with the council of governments regarding the assumptions and methodologies to be used to determine a regions housing need and requires the council of governments to provide data assumptions from the council of governments projections, as specified. That law authorizes the department to accept or reject the information provided by the council of governments and, requires the department, after consultation with the council of governments, to make determinations on the data assumptions and the methodology the department will use to determine the regions housing need, as specified. That law requires the department to provide its determinations to the council of governments, as specified.

This bill would for the 8th and subsequent revisions of the housing element require the department to convene and engage stakeholders to consider improvements to the process of determining the existing and projected housing need for each region before determining any regions existing projected housing need. The bill would require the department department, prior to finalization of the regional determination, as specified, to publish on its the departments internet website a summary of the information the department considered and determinations made by the department to improve the process of determining the existing and projected housing need for each region. The bill would additionally require the department to publish on its internet website the data sources, analyses, and methodology, including assumptions and factors used in and applied to the Department of Finances population projections and engagement process with the council of governments prior to finalization of the regional determination, as specified. The bill would also require the department, for the 7th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, to assemble and convene an advisory panel that includes, among others, a specified expert on described data to advise the department on the assumptions and methodology it will use to determine a regions housing need. The bill would also require the department to consult with the advisory panel before making determinations on the data assumptions and the methodology it will use to determine the regions housing need for the 7th and subsequent revisions of the housing element. determination. The bill would also additionally require the department to publish its determination determinations on the data assumptions and methodology it will use to determine a regions housing need on its the departments internet website.