SB 507: Planning and zoning: regional housing needs allocation.

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires each city, county, or city and county to prepare and adopt a general plan for its jurisdiction that contains certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. Under existing law, a part of the housing element is an assessment of housing needs, which includes the localitys share of the regional housing need. Under existing law, the appropriate council of governments, or for cities and counties without a council of governments, the Department of Housing and Community Development, adopts a final regional housing need plan that allocates a share of the regional housing need to each locality in the region. Existing law authorizes a local government to conduct a review or appeal regarding allocation data provided by the department or the council of governments regarding, among other things, the localitys share of the regional housing need.

This bill would authorize a local government within the same county as a tribe to enter into a voluntary agreement with a tribe to allow new tribal housing development projects to count toward the localitys share of the regional housing needs allocation, as specified. The bill would prohibit a local government from requiring a tribe to waive sovereign immunity in order to enter into a voluntary agreement pursuant to these provisions. The bill would define various terms for these provisions. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Housing and Community Development be encouraged to approve units in a tribal housing development as counting toward the localitys regional housing needs allocation, as specified.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.