HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 650 (Papan) Housing Element - RHNA - City of SLO - Letter of SUPPORTCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114,
slocity.org
April 28, 2025
The Honorable Diane Papan
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 4220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 650 (Papan) Planning and Zoning: Housing Element: Regional Housing Needs
Allocation.
Notice of SUPPORT
Dear Assembly Member Papan,
The City of San Luis Obispo (City) is pleased to support AB 650, which would improve the housing
element process by allowing jurisdictions to begin updates six months early, reduce ambiguity in
HCD’s review process, and ensure local governments have sufficient time to address feedback.
Since 1969, cities and counties in California have been required to plan for housing across all income
levels through their general plan’s housing element, using allocations assigned through the Regional
Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. During the 6th RHNA cycle, local governments faced a
range of challenges, including short timelines, evolving state requirements, and limited clarity in
HCD’s feedback—often issued late in the process.
AB 650 would address these challenges by:
•Permitting earlier preparation of housing element updates;
•Requiring HCD to clearly identify specific deficiencies and text needed to remedy them; and
•Ensuring local governments are not penalized for previously unidentified deficiencies in
revised drafts.
As a city in a high-cost, high-demand housing market, San Luis Obispo is committed to advancing
housing production across all income levels. However, during the 6th RHNA cycle, the City
experienced significant delays and uncertainty in the Housing Element update process due to
evolving guidance from HCD and compressed timelines to incorporate feedback. This created
challenges in coordinating rezoning efforts, engaging the community meaningfully, and aligning with
other long-range planning efforts such as the Climate Action Plan and infrastructure investment
planning.
AB 650 would provide the City with a more predictable and collaborative process by allowing
additional time for early planning and more clarity on how to resolve deficiencies. This would improve
the City’s ability to comply with state housing laws, meet RHNA obligations, and advance equitable
housing outcomes through better community engagement, environmental analysis, and timely
rezoning. The added time and clearer guidance would also help reduce the risk of litigation or
penalties that may arise from uncertainty in the review process
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to support your measure AB 650 (Papan).
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc. Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Senator John Laird
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org