REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/03/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: City Manager’s Office
SUBJECT:
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APPROVE MAYOR RICHINS’ REQUESTED LETTER REGARDING THE STATE’S PREEMPTION OF LOCAL CONTROL ON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND FINALIZE LETTER RECIPIENTS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report asks the City Council to approve Mayor Richins’ request to distribute a letter discussing the state of California's interference with local land use control and development and decide to whom the letter should be sent.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council approve a draft letter discussing the State of California's interference with local land use control and development and provide direction on its distribution.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Earlier this year, Mayor Richins submitted a Future Agenda Item Request asking staff to prepare a comment letter to the California State Legislature outlining the city’s concerns on the lack of local discretion, decision-making, and land use control regarding housing development and the state’s requirements and regulations for meeting housing. During its meeting on June 5, 2024, the City Council agreed to distribute a letter and directed staff to consult with the City’s State Lobby Partner, Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG), and provide options on letter recipients
ANALYSIS:
Staff consulted with the City’s lobby partner, Renne Public Policy Group (RPPG), and drafted the requested letter. The draft letter is attached to the Staff Report and needs final approval from the City Council. To better segment the letter’s audience for optimal response and attention, RPPG and Staff recommend the following recipients as options for consideration:
• Option 1 - send the letter to Corona’s State representatives only.
• Option 2 - send the letter to Corona’s State and Federal representatives only.
• Option 3 - send the letter to Corona’s State and Federal representatives and the League of California Cities.
Distributing to members outlined in one of the three options above is supported through the City’s Legislative Platform, specified in Section 4: Housing, specifically the following tenets:
• “b” Oppose expanding State and Federal authority over local jurisdictions' housing and land use decisions.
• “c” Oppose penalties on a jurisdiction’s Housing Element, such as monetary fines issued by the state and withholding state public transportation (“gas tax”) monies to local jurisdictions that are not capable of meeting their Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
• “d” Oppose housing legislation that takes away a jurisdiction’s local discretion or eliminates the public engagement process to evaluate the impacts of housing developments.
• “e” Oppose housing legislation that does not consider the differences of local jurisdictions and imposes a “one size fits all” requirement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this request.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt under Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may substantially affect the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action seeks direction from the Council regarding distributing a letter and thus has no potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
PREPARED BY: AMINAH MEARS, DPA, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: BRETT CHANNING, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Letter
2. Exhibit 2 - Future Agenda Item Request