Planning and zoning: housing element: regional housing needs allocation.

Assembly Member Papan's housing legislation extends key planning timelines and strengthens oversight of local housing elements, requiring the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop standardized reporting requirements by late 2026. The bill modifies the regional housing needs allocation process by providing local governments additional time to plan - extending the department's needs determination deadline from two to three years before housing element revisions and consultation periods with councils of governments from 26 to 38 months.

The legislation enhances accountability by requiring the department to provide specific guidance when finding housing elements non-compliant, including detailed analysis of deficiencies and explicit text recommendations for achieving compliance. Local jurisdictions must either incorporate this feedback or justify in writing why their original submission meets requirements. The bill also adjusts timelines for forming subregional entities that coordinate housing needs allocation, extending the formation window from 28 to 34 months before updates.

For emergency shelter zoning, the bill establishes objective development standards covering aspects like maximum occupancy, parking requirements, and facility management. It allows jurisdictions to form multi-jurisdictional agreements to meet shelter needs collaboratively. The legislation maintains existing enforcement mechanisms while requiring standardized reporting of programs that affirmatively further fair housing, with metrics tracking implementation timelines, responsible parties, and committed resources.

The changes aim to create a more structured and transparent housing element process while giving local governments additional time to coordinate regional planning efforts. Most provisions take effect immediately, though some timeline extensions do not apply to jurisdictions with 2027 housing element deadlines. While imposing new requirements on local governments, the bill allows jurisdictions to fund compliance through existing fee authorities rather than state reimbursement.