Focus
New state laws allow housing on commercial properties
Multi-Housing News – September 30
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two bills into law that incentivize developers to convert commercial properties into much-needed housing. As reported by The Los Angeles Times, Assembly Bill 2011 creates a streamlined ministerial (i.e., no CEQA) approval process for qualifying 100% affordable and mixed-income housing projects on properties currently zoned for retail, office or parking, while Senate Bill 6 bypasses rezoning requirements for such projects. See our recent legal alert for additional information about these important housing bills.
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News
Realtor-affiliated group sues Southern California cities over housing plans
The Real Deal – September 30
A group sponsored by the California Association of Realtors has sued three Southern California cities for failing to comply with the state’s housing requirements. The new lawsuits, filed in September in county court, take aim at Claremont, in eastern L.A. County; La Mirada, in southeast L.A. County; and Fullerton, in northern Orange County. In Southern California, cities’ updated housing element plans were due last October, and numerous cities have yet to finalize their plans.
San Diego County, City of San Diego resolve to build 10,000 housing units on government land
NBC7 San Diego – October 3
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego City Council on Monday agreed unanimously on a resolution aligning the two bodies in plans to construct 10,000 units of housing on government-owned land, use available funding for housing, and explore residential density options. The resolution, in part, commits the county and city to support efforts to strengthen, streamline, and address permitting and other barriers to accelerating housing production, and support efforts to build 10,000 affordable homes on government-owned land.
California appeals court set to hear Monterey County vacation rental case
Monterey Herald – September 29
In a couple of weeks, a California state appeals court will hear oral arguments in a closely watched case brought against the city of Pacific Grove for what plaintiffs argue is an illegal way in which the city controls short-term rentals. The case dates back to 2018 when a former Pacific Grove couple sued the city, alleging the city denied them their due process rights when a lottery system prohibited them from renting out their home as a vacation property, also known as a short-term rental.
California housing officials tell Oakland to plan for more homes in pricey Rockridge neighborhood
San Francisco Chronicle – September 29
State housing officials have a message for Oakland city planners: Zone for more density in Rockridge. That was one of the main takeaways from a letter the California Department of Housing and Community Development delivered to Oakland officials last Wednesday. The letter was a response to the latest draft of Oakland’s Housing Element , the state-mandated plan that is supposed to lay out how and where the city will meet its regional housing goals. Like cities across California, Oakland is scrambling to finalize its eight-year housing element plan by early next year.
San Diego’s no-fault eviction protections for renters expire
The San Diego Union-Tribune – September 30
San Diego’s residential no-fault eviction moratorium expired last Friday, expanding the list of reasons a landlord can cite to terminate tenancy or evict a tenant. The moratorium, which went into effect on May 22 as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, had curtailed landlords’ options to pursue evictions, allowing them only in situations where a tenant didn’t pay rent or violated a rental agreement.
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