Housing developments: ordinances, policies, and standards.

Assembly Member Carrillo's housing accountability legislation expands the scope of development standards that local agencies must consistently apply when reviewing affordable housing projects. The bill amends California's Housing Accountability Act to include materials requirements, post-entitlement permit standards, and regulations from other public agencies among the objective criteria that cannot be arbitrarily changed after a preliminary application is submitted.

The legislation establishes that housing development projects and emergency shelters shall be deemed compliant with applicable standards if substantial evidence would allow a reasonable person to conclude they meet requirements. This creates a more predictable approval framework while maintaining local agencies' ability to enforce legitimate health and safety standards. The bill specifically prohibits agencies from imposing new requirements solely because a project qualifies as a "builder's remedy" development.

For projects that include units dedicated to extremely low, very low, or low-income households, the amendments preserve density bonus eligibility and require agencies to process applications based on standards in effect when initially submitted. The legislation also strengthens enforcement by authorizing courts to compel agency compliance through orders, fines, and attorney fee awards when projects are improperly denied or conditioned.

By designating housing availability as a matter of statewide concern, the bill's provisions apply uniformly to all California cities, including charter cities. While imposing additional procedural requirements on local agencies, the legislation allows them to levy fees sufficient to cover administrative costs without requiring state reimbursement.