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

Senator Cabaldon's legislation requires California's public universities to provide enrollment forecasts that metropolitan planning organizations must incorporate into regional housing and transportation strategies, while streamlining environmental reviews for campus projects that align with sustainable development goals. The bill mandates that the University of California and California State University systems share projected enrollment changes with regional planners at least six months before housing need methodologies are developed, considering factors like improved degree completion rates and increased transfer student access.

The legislation modifies how regions determine housing needs by requiring councils of governments to account for university enrollment patterns alongside existing factors like job growth and transit access. Planning organizations must specifically evaluate how students are distributed across jurisdictions and optimize non-vehicle transportation options to campuses. These enrollment projections will inform both sustainable communities strategies and regional housing allocation methodologies.

For qualifying campus development projects, the bill creates a targeted exemption from certain California Environmental Quality Act requirements. Universities need not conduct "no project" alternative analyses if proposed developments advance enrollment goals, align with long-range campus plans, and support regional greenhouse gas reduction targets. This streamlined review process applies only when institutions have provided enrollment forecasts to regional planners as required.

The changes aim to better coordinate higher education growth with regional housing and transportation planning while maintaining environmental protections. By requiring early sharing of enrollment projections and incorporating this data into regional needs assessments, the bill creates a more integrated approach to accommodating California's expanding university student population.