Housing elements: prohousing designation.

Assembly Member Soria’s measure reshapes California’s approach to prohousing designations by replacing reliance on temporary regulatory actions with permanent rules that govern how jurisdictions are designated as prohousing and eligible for scoring advantages in major housing and infrastructure programs. The bill centers on directing the housing department to implement these designations through permanent regulations and to report them to the state’s climate and land-use office, tying program incentives to compliance with housing element requirements and locally adopted prohousing policies. It also introduces a pathway for small rural jurisdictions to seek a streamlined consideration beginning with the seventh housing element cycle, provided they have a compliant housing element.

A core mechanism is to permit small rural jurisdictions to request an evaluation of their housing element submission for evidence of prohousing local policies, to the extent feasible and only for jurisdictions that meet the compliant element standard. This evaluation is intended to minimize the need for additional documentation. The bill defines “small rural jurisdiction” as a city with fewer than 25,000 residents or a county with fewer than 200,000 residents, and it prohibits requiring these jurisdictions to renew their prohousing designation for at least four years, while preserving the department’s authority to revoke a designation if warranted. In addition, the measure requires permanent regulations to implement the designation framework and calls for annual reporting of designations to the state office responsible for land use and climate innovation.

The proposed changes broaden the set of programs that may award prohousing incentives and specify the types of local policies that qualify. Eligible programs include major state housing and infrastructure funding streams, with additional bonus points potentially available for other programs already authorized by law. The bill defines “prohousing local policies” to encompass a range of tools intended to facilitate housing development, such as local financial incentives (including housing trust funds), reduced parking requirements, zoning by right for residential and mixed-use development, higher-density zoning, and ADU ordinances, among other measures. It also adds a suite of targeted actions—such as reducing permit processing times, establishing objective development standards, and creating specialized zones or districts—that may count toward prohousing status. The measure further specifies provisions for preserving affordable housing, supporting the redevelopment of commercial properties for housing, and creating programs to address unsheltered homelessness through safe parking, safe camping, and expedited approval processes for low-barrier facilities like navigation centers, emergency shelters, and supportive housing.

Implementation relies on regulations adopted by the housing department, with emergency regulations remaining in effect only until permanent regulations become operative. The bill contemplates cross-references to provisions that would be enacted in tandem with a companion measure, conditioning operation of certain amendments on both bills being enacted and taking effect only if this measure is enacted after the companion. Together, the provisions articulate a framework in which incentives are awarded to jurisdictions that maintain compliant housing elements and adopt prohousing policies, with a defined set of tools and programs and a formal, recurring process for designation, reporting, and oversight.