LegCon 2026: Housing, Land Use and Transportation (HLT) Policy Committee Meeting Recap

The Housing, Land Use and Transportation (HLT) Policy Committee met last week during the CSAC Legislative Conference in Sacramento. The agenda included: 

• A panel on the realities of the states oil refineries and heard remarks from Assemblymember Avila-Farias as well as Gary Link with Marathon Petroleum. The panel  highlighted the critical role refineries play in providing products that are vital for the state’s transportation, manufacturing and energy  
• A presentation from the County Planning Directors Association which provided the committee with an overview of the work that County Planners perform on behalf of counties and the challenges they face. 
• Our final panel explored how the General Plan in the context of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, typically called the (RHNA) process. The panel included presentations from: 
  • Chelsea Lee, Planner with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments
  • Todd Smith, Planning Director of Sacramento County; and,
  • Chelsey Norton, Director of Urban Planning with Ascent Environmental and American Planning Association representative
• Although time did not permit for CSAC HLT staff to provide an update on 2026 legislative advocacy efforts, a summary of those efforts can be found here.