Regional transportation plans: San Diego Association of Governments: housing.

Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies, including the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) , to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Certain of these agencies are designated under federal law as metropolitan planning organizations. Existing law requires each regional transportation plan to include, among other things, a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization, as specified, which is designed to achieve certain targets for 2020 and 2035 established by the State Air Resources Board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region. After adopting a sustainable communities strategy, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to submit the strategy to the state board for review to determine whether the strategy, if implemented, would achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Existing law requires each transportation planning agency to adopt and submit to the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation an updated regional transportation plan every four or five years, as specified. This bill would require the updated regional transportation plan, sustainable communities strategy, and environmental impact report adopted by SANDAG on October 9, 2015, to remain in effect for all purposes until SANDAG adopts its next update to its regional transportation plan, which the bill would require it to adopt and submit on or before December 31, 2021. The bill would provide that a specified update to the 2015 regional transportation plan adopted by SANDAG for purposes of compliance with certain federal laws shall not constitute a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , thereby exempting this update from CEQA. The bill would require SANDAG to submit an implementation report to the state board when it submits a sustainable communities strategy to the state board for review and would require the implementation report to track the implementation of its most recently adopted sustainable communities strategy, as specified. By requiring SANDAG to submit implementation reports to the state board, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law creates the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, with funding available for the program to be allocated by the California Transportation Commission to projects designed to achieve a balanced set of transportation, environmental, and community access improvements within highly congested travel corridors throughout the state and that are part of a comprehensive corridor plan. Under existing law, the program also requires nominated projects within the boundaries of a metropolitan planning organization to be included in an adopted regional transportation plan that includes a sustainable communities strategy determined by the state board to achieve the region's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Existing law authorizes regional transportation planning agencies or county transportation commissions or authorities and the Department of Transportation to nominate projects for funding under the program. This bill would limit the types of projects that SANDAG may nominate for funding through the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program by requiring, until December 31, 2021, projects that it nominates to be consistent with the eligibility requirements of at least one of 3 other specified programs in addition to meeting the eligibility requirements of the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program. Existing law requires each local government to review its housing element of its general plan as frequently as appropriate to evaluate certain considerations, and requires specific local governments to revise the housing element in accordance with specific schedules. This bill would require a local government within the jurisdiction of SANDAG to adopt its 6th revision to its housing element on or before April 30, 2021, and to adopt its 7th revision no later than 18 months after SANDAG's first update to its regional transportation plan that is adopted in 2029. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with each council of governments, including SANDAG, to determine each region's existing and projected housing need at least two years before the scheduled revision of the housing element, as provided. Existing law requires each council of governments, including SANDAG, to adopt a final regional housing need plan that allocates a share of the regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county, that furthers specified objectives, and that demonstrates that the plan is consistent with the sustainable communities strategy of the regional transportation plan. Existing law requires the allocation plan to allocate housing units within the region consistent with the development pattern included in the sustainable communities strategy. This bill would require, for purposes of these consistency determinations, the resolution approving the final housing need allocation plan for SANDAG's 6th revision of the housing element to use the sustainable communities strategy in the 2015 regional transportation plan. The bill would make other related changes. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for SANDAG. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65588 of the Government Code proposed by AB 139 to be operative only if this bill and AB 139 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.