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    SB-611
    Housing & Homelessness

    Planning and zoning: community plans: review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

    Engrossed
    CA
    ∙
    2025-2026 Regular Session
    0
    0
    Track
    Track

    Key Takeaways

    • Protects housing development projects from environmental lawsuits that challenge community plan updates.
    • Requires community plans to include transit areas and meet housing needs to qualify for legal protection.
    • Applies to development applications submitted through January 1, 2036.
    • Takes effect immediately to address California's urgent housing and homelessness crisis.

    Summary

    Senator Richardson's proposal to streamline California's community planning process aims to protect development projects from certain legal challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The legislation reestablishes and expands previous provisions that limited courts' ability to invalidate development approvals when community plan updates face CEQA-related litigation.

    The bill defines qualifying community plans as those adopted for specific geographic areas that include multiple transit priority areas and have not been updated in over 10 years. To be eligible, local jurisdictions must have current mobility elements, adequate housing capacity for regional needs, and adopted vehicle miles traveled thresholds. The measure applies to community plan updates adopted after January 1, 2025, and development applications filed through January 1, 2036.

    Under the new provisions, courts cannot void or set aside development approvals based on CEQA non-compliance with a community plan update if the project was approved before any court stay or if the application was deemed complete prior to court intervention. The bill maintains existing CEQA compliance requirements for individual development projects and preserves other legal grounds for challenging project approvals. As an urgency measure responding to housing needs, these provisions would apply immediately upon enactment to all California cities, including charter cities.

    Key Dates

    Vote on Assembly Floor
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    SB 611 Richardson Third Reading Urgency By Zbur
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Local Government Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Local Government Hearing
    Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
    Vote on Senate Floor
    Senate Floor
    Vote on Senate Floor
    Senate 3rd Reading SB611 Richardson Urgency Clause
    Senate Judiciary Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Senate Local Government Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Local Government Hearing
    Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary]
    Introduced
    Senate Floor
    Introduced
    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    Contacts

    Profile
    Rick ZburD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    0 of 2 row(s) selected.
    Page 1 of 1
    Select All Legislators
    Profile
    Rick ZburD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Bill Author

    Similar Past Legislation

    Bill NumberTitleIntroduced DateStatusLink to Bill
    Planning and zoning: community plans: review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
    February 2019
    Passed
    View Bill
    Showing 1 of 1 items
    Page 1 of 1

    Get Involved

    Act Now!

    Email the authors or create an email template to send to all relevant legislators.

    Introduced By

    Laura Richardson
    Laura RichardsonD
    California State Senator
    Co-Author
    Rick Zbur
    Rick ZburD
    California State Assembly Member
    40% progression
    Bill has passed all readings in its first house and is ready to move to the other house (5/27/2025)

    Latest Voting History

    View History
    July 17, 2025
    PASS
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    AyesNoesNVRTotalResult
    740579PASS

    Key Takeaways

    • Protects housing development projects from environmental lawsuits that challenge community plan updates.
    • Requires community plans to include transit areas and meet housing needs to qualify for legal protection.
    • Applies to development applications submitted through January 1, 2036.
    • Takes effect immediately to address California's urgent housing and homelessness crisis.

    Get Involved

    Act Now!

    Email the authors or create an email template to send to all relevant legislators.

    Introduced By

    Laura Richardson
    Laura RichardsonD
    California State Senator
    Co-Author
    Rick Zbur
    Rick ZburD
    California State Assembly Member

    Summary

    Senator Richardson's proposal to streamline California's community planning process aims to protect development projects from certain legal challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The legislation reestablishes and expands previous provisions that limited courts' ability to invalidate development approvals when community plan updates face CEQA-related litigation.

    The bill defines qualifying community plans as those adopted for specific geographic areas that include multiple transit priority areas and have not been updated in over 10 years. To be eligible, local jurisdictions must have current mobility elements, adequate housing capacity for regional needs, and adopted vehicle miles traveled thresholds. The measure applies to community plan updates adopted after January 1, 2025, and development applications filed through January 1, 2036.

    Under the new provisions, courts cannot void or set aside development approvals based on CEQA non-compliance with a community plan update if the project was approved before any court stay or if the application was deemed complete prior to court intervention. The bill maintains existing CEQA compliance requirements for individual development projects and preserves other legal grounds for challenging project approvals. As an urgency measure responding to housing needs, these provisions would apply immediately upon enactment to all California cities, including charter cities.

    40% progression
    Bill has passed all readings in its first house and is ready to move to the other house (5/27/2025)

    Key Dates

    Vote on Assembly Floor
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    SB 611 Richardson Third Reading Urgency By Zbur
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Local Government Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Local Government Hearing
    Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
    Vote on Senate Floor
    Senate Floor
    Vote on Senate Floor
    Senate 3rd Reading SB611 Richardson Urgency Clause
    Senate Judiciary Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Judiciary Hearing
    Do pass
    Senate Local Government Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Local Government Hearing
    Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary]
    Introduced
    Senate Floor
    Introduced
    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    Latest Voting History

    View History
    July 17, 2025
    PASS
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    AyesNoesNVRTotalResult
    740579PASS

    Contacts

    Profile
    Rick ZburD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    0 of 2 row(s) selected.
    Page 1 of 1
    Select All Legislators
    Profile
    Rick ZburD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Bill Author

    Similar Past Legislation

    Bill NumberTitleIntroduced DateStatusLink to Bill
    Planning and zoning: community plans: review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
    February 2019
    Passed
    View Bill
    Showing 1 of 1 items
    Page 1 of 1