Senator Wiener recently gutted and amended
SB 281 to include new language that would extend by two years
any state or local housing entitlement that had not expired as of
March 4, 2020. While the bill is characterized as necessary to
reduce workloads for local government and ensure that development
continues following the recession induced by the COVID-19 crisis,
it has far-reaching implications. CSAC is currently soliciting
feedback on this measure from counties. Please send comments or
concerns to Marina Espinoza at mespinoza@counties.org by
Wednesday, July 8.
SB 281 now extends the period for the expiration, effectuation,
or utilization of a housing entitlement, as defined, that had not
expired as of March 4, 2020, by 24 months. The bill would toll
this 24-month extension during any time that the housing
entitlement is the subject of a legal challenge.
To better understand the impact this measure would have on
counties, CSAC is seeking feedback from counties on the questions
below.
Do counties anticipate any issues that would come up as a
result of these housing entitlement extensions?
Have counties already taken action to extend local permits or
entitlements? Either on a case-by-case basis or by broader type
of entitlement?
Are there subsets of entitlements that are more or less
problematic to include in this state-mandated extension?
Which state housing entitlement extensions be helpful to
counties?
