Regional housing: public postsecondary education: changes in enrollment levels: California Environmental Quality Act.

Senator Cabaldon's regional housing legislation requires California's public universities to integrate their enrollment forecasts into local housing and transportation planning processes, marking a shift in how communities prepare for population growth driven by higher education. The bill mandates that the University of California and California State University systems provide detailed projections of enrollment changes to regional planning agencies, excluding nonresident students, to inform housing allocation decisions.

Under the new requirements, metropolitan planning organizations must incorporate these enrollment forecasts when developing sustainable communities strategies and determining regional housing needs. The legislation specifically directs councils of governments to consider student distribution patterns across jurisdictions and evaluate how effectively students can access campuses using transit and non-vehicular transportation options.

The bill also modifies environmental review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for public universities. Changes in enrollment levels will no longer need to be evaluated as population growth impacts in environmental documents when universities have provided enrollment forecasts to regional planners and their development plans align with local sustainable communities strategies. This provision aims to streamline campus planning while maintaining coordination with regional housing and transportation goals.

To ensure implementation, the legislation establishes specific timelines for universities to submit enrollment projections and requires regional agencies to document how they incorporate this data into their planning methodologies. The bill maintains existing requirements for public participation in the housing needs allocation process while adding new considerations around student housing accessibility and transportation efficiency.