The second year of the two-year legislative session is well
underway. The Legislature is now in the middle of committee and
subcommittee hearings. The Legislature has adjourned for Spring
Recess on March 21st and will reconvene on April 1st . April 26th
will be the last day for policy committees to hear and report to
the fiscal committees the fiscal bills that are introduced in the
house of origin. The Legislature has started budget subcommittee
hearings but is continuing to leave most items open for
discussion while they wait for the Department of Finance and the
Administration to issue the May Revise, which will be around
mid-May. The following are a couple of bills relating to the
California Coastal Act that the Housing, Land Use and
Transportation Policy Committee is seeking your county’s feedback
on. Please send any comments or feedback on the following
bills to Kristina Gallagher atkgallagher@counties.org.
SB 951 clarifies that the California Coastal Commission does not
have jurisdiction to appeal projects that are within the
permitted uses for a specific parcel where there is a local
coastal program (LCP) in place. Senate Bill 951 will refine
the role the Commission plays in the process of local permitting
and housing element compliance while maintaining full coastal
resource protection. These changes will allow local governments
to retain control necessary to progress on housing production
goals.
SB 1077 will remove the
Coastal Development Permit (CDP) requirement for Accessory
Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit
(JADU) additions to existing residential properties that are not
near sensitive coastal natural resources. This bill will maintain
the Coastal Act’s protections for California’s coastal habitats
while making it easier for coastal homeowners whose projects have
a low risk of damaging those habitats to add ADUs and JADUs. The
bill seeks to simplify the entitlement process for adding ADUs
and JADUs to certain residential properties in the coastal zone.
