Land use: regional housing need.

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires a city or county to prepare and adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan, and requires the general plan to include certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. That law requires the housing element, in turn, to include, among other things, an assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to the meeting of those needs. That law further requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region, as specified, at least two years prior to the scheduled revision of a housing element required by law. This bill would require the department to determine the regional housing need at least two years and three months prior to the scheduled revision of a housing element required by law. Existing law requires the appropriate council of governments or, in the absence of this council, the department, to adopt a final regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county at least one year prior to the scheduled revision for the region. This bill would require the adoption of a final regional housing need at least one year and three months prior to the scheduled revision for the region. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.