Land use regulations: local initiatives: voter approval.

The Planning and Zoning Law, among other things, authorizes the legislative body of any county or city to adopt ordinances to regulate land use. Existing law also establishes procedures by which city or county ordinances may be enacted or amended by initiative, including requiring that an ordinance proposed by the voters of the city or county be approved by a majority of the votes cast on the ordinance. This bill, in the case of an ordinance or an amendment of an ordinance that would reduce density or stop development or construction of any parcels located less than one mile from a major transit stop, as defined, within a city, county, or city and county that is proposed by the voters of the city, county, or city and county in accordance with specified law, would require that the proposed ordinance or amendment of an ordinance receive 55% of the votes cast on the ordinance in order to become effective. The bill would exclude from this requirement the proposal and submission to the voters of an ordinance or amendment of an ordinance by the legislative body of the city, county, or city and county and the adoption or amendment of a city, county, or city and county charter, and would exclude ordinances that apply to or implement amendments to a city or county general plan pertaining to certain lands specified in that general plan. The bill would also exclude ordinances that apply primarily to lands located outside an established city urban restriction boundary or ordinances that revise or continue previously established city urban restriction boundaries. This bill would limit application of this requirement to a county or city and county that had a population of 750,000 or more, or a city located within such a county, as of January 1, 2017. The bill would require the county counsel for the county or city and county in which the proposed ordinance or amendment of an ordinance would apply, or the city attorney of the city in which the proposed ordinance or amendment of an ordinance would apply, to determine whether the proposed ordinance or amendment of an ordinance would reduce density or stop development or construction of any parcels located less than one mile from a major transit stop within the city, county, or city and county. The bill would declare that it addresses a matter of statewide concern and would therefore apply to charter cities and charter counties. By requiring local officials to determine whether a proposed ordinance or amendment of an ordinance would reduce density or stop development or construction of any parcels located less than one mile from a major transit stop within a city, county, or city and county, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.