Housing developments: ordinances, policies, and standards.

Here's a neutral, substantive summary of AB 1276's key provisions and impacts:

Assembly Member Carrillo's housing development legislation expands the scope of local regulations that must remain fixed once a preliminary application is submitted. The measure adds materials requirements, postentitlement permit standards, and rules adopted by other public agencies to the list of "ordinances, policies, and standards" that cannot be changed during project review.

The bill establishes a new compliance standard for housing developments and emergency shelters, deeming them consistent with applicable regulations if substantial evidence would lead a reasonable person to conclude they conform. This provision aims to create more objective criteria for evaluating project applications.

For projects deemed "builder's remedy developments" due to a jurisdiction's non-compliant housing element, the legislation prohibits local agencies from imposing additional requirements or increased fees solely based on that classification. These projects must only comply with development standards that would have applied had they been proposed on appropriately zoned sites.

The measure strengthens enforcement mechanisms by allowing courts to multiply fines up to five times the base amount for local agencies that act in bad faith or fail to comply with court orders. These penalties must be deposited into housing trust funds dedicated to financing affordable units.

To ensure statewide application, the bill explicitly declares housing development certainty a matter of statewide concern, making its provisions binding on all cities, including charter cities. Local agencies retain authority to levy fees and charges to cover implementation costs, exempting the state from reimbursement requirements.