State lawmakers introduced hundreds of bills just before the February 22 deadline, and many of them concern land use.

At the time of the Legislature's deadline, we were putting together our big overview of land use legislation, so we were not able to look at every last bill. The late introductions don't change the fact that SB 375 (Steinberg) is the most important piece of land use legislation currently circulating. But we want to make sure you know about all the important and just plain weird land use bills.

Here are the late entries:


Housing

• AB 2069 (Jones). Prohibits commercial development on sites designated for residential development in a housing element unless new sites for housing are created. Similar to last year's AB 414, which the governor vetoed.

• AB 2280 (Saldaña). Eliminates density bonus eligibility for projects that already receive a bonus for including affordable units. This is an important bill for cities, which complain that developers are doubling up on various density bonuses. Having strengthened the state density bonus law during recent years, housing advocates have already said they will fight the rollback.

• AB 2322 (Portantino). Allows cities and counties to count foster youth placements for purposes of meeting fair-share affordable housing requirements.

• AB 2331 (DeSaulnier). For projects funded by the California Housing Finance Agency (Cal HFA), boosts the definition of "moderate income" from 120% of median to 150% of median.

• SB 1433 (Wyland). Prohibits a city or county from including rent-controlled mobile home parks in its affordable housing inventory for regional housing needs assessment purposes, unless the park owner and the local government have an agreement.


Local and regional planning

• AB 2367 (Fuentes). Extends to five years (from the current two years) the prohibition on cities changing the zoning designation on annexed land, unless the city makes certain findings.

• AB 2447 (Jones). Prohibits a local government from approving a parcel map or subdivision in high fire danger areas unless the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection approves the project.

• AB 2520 (Walters). One of several bills extending the expiration date of tentative subdivision maps by two years.

• AB 2585 (Jeffries). Increases from four to six the number of times per year a city or county may amend its general plan.

• AB 2870 (DeSaulnier). Creates the Blueprint Implementation Commission to facilitate implementation of regional growth plans.


Fees and revenues


• AB 2173 (Caballero). Makes it easier for school districts to levy higher impact fees on new development.

• AB 2256 (Duvall). Increases the homeowners' property tax exemption from $7,000 to $75,000.

• AB 2604 (Torrico). Prohibits a local agency that imposes a fee on residential development for construction of public facilities from collecting that fee until a certificate of occupancy is issued or escrow has closed. While this measure could help with development financing, local governments may oppose it because they lose leverage for collecting fees once a certificate of occupancy has been issued.

• AB 2705 (Jones). Adds public transit services to the list of items that may be financed by a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District.

• SB 1473 (Calderon). Requires cities and counties to levy a building permit fee of $4 per $100,000 in valuation  to fund creation of green building standards. 

 

Infrastructure

• AB 2600 (Niello). A "spot bill" authorizing state and local governments to enter into "performance-based infrastructure partnerships for eligible facilities."

• AB 2674 (Emmerson). Authorizes a private water company to enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency.

• AB 3021 (Nava). Creates the Transportation Financing Authority to finance highways and toll roads.


Redevelopment


• AB 2594 (Mullin). Permits redevelopment agencies to use non-housing funds to help homeowners in mortgage distress.

• SB 1689 (Lowenthal). Creates procedures by which the Department of Housing and Community Development and the attorney general's office may pursue in court major redevelopment agency audit violations.

 

Group Homes

• AB 2903 (Huffman). Prohibits "by right" operation of group homes of 6 people or fewer if the homes are part of a larger facility in one location.   

 

- Paul Shigley