Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210910_SB 9 (Atkins) VETOCity of San Luis Obispo, City Attorney’s Office, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7140, slocity.org September 10, 2021 The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor, State of California First Floor, State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 leg.unit@gov.ca.gov RE: SB 9 (Atkins) Increased Density in Single-Family Zones VETO REQUEST Dear Governor Newsom: The City of San Luis Obispo writes to request your VETO on SB 9 (Atkins). SB 9 would require nearly all cities, regardless of existing circumstances, to ministerially approve, without condition or discretion, a housing development containing up to four units on a parcel that was otherwise designated for one single-family home. Additionally, this measure would require local governments to ministerially approve an urban lot split, thus creating two independent lots that may be sold separately. Housing affordability and homelessness are among the most critical issues facing California cities. Affordably priced homes are out of reach for many people, and housing is not being built fast enough to meet the current or projected needs of people living in the state. Cities lay the groundwork for housing production by planning and zoning new projects in their communities based on extensive public input and engagement, state housing laws, including regional housing needs assessments, and the realities of the building industry. Importantly, cities are currently updating housing plans to identify sites for more than two million additional housing units. While we appreciate President pro Tempore Atkins’s desire to pursue a housing production proposal, as currently drafted, SB 9 does not guarantee the construction of affordable housing, nor will it spur additional housing development in a manner that supports local flexibility, decision-making, and community input. State-driven ministerial or by-right housing approval processes fail to recognize the extensive public engagement associated with developing and adopting zoning ordinances and housing elements that are certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. One size fits all approaches also fail to recognize the reality that housing production does not occur in a vacuum, and unplanned production presents real and significant burdens on the local agencies that are responsible for providing services, including water, sewer, solid waste, public safety, and community wellness support to new and existing community residents. To the extent state mandates such as this may be appropriate at all, they must be considered with an understanding of the full landscape and accompanied by resources for local agencies to support the significant demands on local services they create. Significantly, the City’s recently state-certified General Plan Housing Element includes specific policies to expand missing middle housing that will accomplish the goals of SB 9 through local zoning processes. These policies have been thoughtfully developed with engaged community input in the context of the City’s long-term financial and human resources necessary to support thoughtfully planned housing production and growth. Policy makers must avoid pushing new, unproven policies that would undermine local planning, change rules mid-stream, strain or break local resource capacity, or conflict with the myriad new housing laws recently passed which cities are now implementing. For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo strongly urges you to VETO SB 9. Sincerely, Heidi Harmon Mayor City of San Luis Obispo CC: San Luis Obispo City Council John Laird, State Senator, fax (916) 651 – 4917 Jordan Cunningham, State Assembly Member, fax (916) 319-2135 Ronda Paschal, Deputy Legislative Secretary, Office of Governor Newsom Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmullinax@cacities.org Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmond@cacities.org League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org