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