The California State Auditor is currently conducting an audit of
the state’s housing element review process. Although the audit is
limited to 10 cities that that meet a variety of criteria, CSAC
is encouraging counties to provide comments and feedback to the
auditor’s office with their experiences with the state’s housing
element review process.
Throughout the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, CSAC has kept you
informed about key legislative developments. With Governor
Newsom’s final actions now complete, CSAC will be publishing a
series of articles highlighting new laws and vetoed bills in each
policy area. This week, our focus is on Housing, Land Use and
Transportation, covering the impact of newly enacted and vetoed
legislation on CEQA, Mitigation Fees, Housing and more.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development
(HCD) has released
Administrative Notice 24-05 (Notice), which amends the
program guidelines for 10 of HCD’s state-funded multifamily
rental housing programs. These amendments permit greater use of
project operating funds to provide supportive services to
residents throughout the life of the projects. The 10 programs
are:
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed
AB 3057, a bill that provides a technical fix to streamline
the development of Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) across
California. Authored by Assembly Member Lori D. Wilson, this
legislation represents a significant step forward in the state’s
ongoing efforts to address the severe housing shortage and
homelessness crisis.
Counties are invited to register for the Utilities and Me:
PG&E and SDG&E Funding Webinar to learn about the medium-
and heavy-duty EV infrastructure installation process and
opportunities to stack funding from EnergIIZE Commercial
Vehicles, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and San Diego Gas &
Electric (SDG&E).
The California Transportation Commission will host the third
round of individual 2024 SB 1 Programs Guidelines
Development Workshops as detailed below. Workshop materials will
be posted on the Commission’s website in the coming weeks.
The Department of Housing and Community Development has released
updated draft guidelines for the Surplus Land
Act and is inviting written public comment with a
deadline of March 25.
CSAC strongly encourage counties to review and submit comments on
the revised guidelines. Providing comment is a prime opportunity
for counties to weigh in on this important effort.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development
(HCD) is requesting public comment on the new release of the
Draft Updated Surplus Land Act Guidelines
HCD will host a webinar of March 6 to discuss content of these
draft guidelines and receive public comment.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is tasked by
Congress with examining and reporting on certain processes and
programs of the federal government, including many of those
created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The GAO will be meeting with the National Association of Counties
(NACo) to discuss the BIL with the goal of identifying
what is and is not working.
NACo is soliciting feedback on questions to help guide
this conversation.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD)
Office of Multifamily Housing Programs
announced $212 million in funding opportunities to expand the
supply of affordable housing and supportive services for very-low
and extremely-low-income persons with disabilities.
What is the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee
(CTCAC)?
The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC)
administers the low-income housing tax credit program to
encourage private investment in affordable rental housing for
households meeting certain income requirements. Credits are
available for new construction projects or existing properties
undergoing rehabilitation. Specifically,
The California Department of Housing and Community Development
(HCD) is currently drafting the 2024-2025 Annual Action Plan
(AAP) final update to the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan (Con Plan).
The survey is designed to gather information from stakeholders
and community members to know how priorities and capacity have
changed in the past year and are anticipated to change in the
upcoming year.
The Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) regulations are part of a decades-long effort by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In support of Governor’s Executive Order N-79-20, the ACF regulations require all public fleet owners to begin replacing their medium and heavy-duty fleet vehicles with Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV).
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff invite counties
to participate in the final public online reporting training
webinar on the new Clean Truck Check-Visual Inspection System
(CTC-VIS) reporting site.
The California Transportation Commission (Commission) is pleased
to announce the release of the Draft Senate Bill 1121 State and
Local Transportation System Needs Assessment Interim Report
(Interim Report) for a 30-day public comment period. You may find
the Draft Senate Bill 1121 Interim Report posted here on the Senate
Bill 1121 webpage.
Throughout the year, CSAC has kept you apprised of the status of
significant legislation. Now that Governor Newsom has determined
final actions on the remaining measures, CSAC will publish a
series of articles to spotlight new laws of interest and impact
in each policy area. This week, the Housing, Land Use and
Transportation (HLT) policy area provides information on new laws
impacting CEQA, affordable housing, accessory dwelling units,
public contracts and more.
Earlier this week, the California Department of Housing &
Community Development (HCD) announced the release of a new map
measuring neighborhood change in California. The map is intended
to inform statewide policy for funding affordable housing.
Starting January 1, 2024, most public fleets must comply with the
newly adopted Advanced Clean Fleet regulations for medium and
heavy-duty fleets. The California Air Resources Board has adopted
these new regulations with the goal of achieving zero-emission by
2045. Fifty percent of new class 2b-8 vehicle purchases, such as
garbage trucks, would need to be zero-emission between 2024-2026.
That requirement would accelerate to 100% by 2027.
Strong government-to-government relations are critical to
preserving and expanding essential services to mutual
constituents. CSAC recognizes and respects the tribal right of
self-governance to provide for tribal members and to preserve
traditional tribal culture and heritage. CSAC is committed to
promoting and supporting the development of positive working
relationships between counties and tribes to the mutual benefit
of both parties and the communities they respectively serve.
The California Transportation Commission will host the 2025
Active Transportation Program Central Workshop for guideline
development on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 9:00
a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Strong government-to-government relations are critical to
preserving and expanding essential services to mutual
constituents. CSAC recognizes and respects the tribal right of
self-governance to provide for tribal members and to preserve
traditional tribal culture and heritage. CSAC is committed to
promoting and supporting the development of positive working
relationships between counties and tribes to the mutual benefit
of both parties and the communities they respectively serve.
The Biden-Harris Administration today opened applications for the
Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility
Accelerator which will provide up to $100 million in Federal
funding to repair and replace existing but non-operational,
electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
AB 400 by Assemblymember Rubio is now enrolled and on its way
to the Governor’s Desk. This is a CSAC-sponsored bill that would
extend the sunset date in existing law which allows counties to
continue using the design-build procurement process.
This bill would allow counties to continue using this method
until January 1, 2031.
The California Transportation Commission will host the second
2025 Active Transportation Program Kick-Off Workshop for
guideline development on Thursday, September 14, 2023,
from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The workshop will be held at
the Butte County Association of Governments and via Zoom.
Participants unable to attend in person can participate via Zoom.
Please register
here.
Copy from the Caltrans Division of Local Assistance
The Caltrans Division of Environmental Analysis/Cultural Studies
Office is surveying local and regional agencies in an effort to
establish more consistent statewide policies regarding the
participation and reimbursement of California Native American
Tribes (Tribes) in project environmental and cultural studies,
including tribal monitoring of transportation activities.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development
(HCD) will be releasing the draft 2022-23 Consolidated
Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for public
comment on September 1, 2023.
The Institute for Local Government (ILG), in partnership
with the California State Association of Counties,
California Special Districts Association, and the League
of California Cities is conducting a survey to better
understand the impacts and opportunities
the Advanced
Clean Fleet (ACF) regulations may have on your
city, county, or special district agency.
The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Local
Assistance (DLA) has been collaborating with the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) to reduce the number of inactive projects
especially those that have not been reimbursed for 24 months or
greater with an unexpended federal funds of $50,000 or more.
Local agencies are expected to invoice Caltrans regularly for
projects in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations 23
CFR 630.106.
