City Has Seat at the Table on Housing Bills

The day after the City Council’s Legislative Committee received updates on several housing bills wending their way through the state senate, Mayor Terry Tornek told Pasadena Now he is “somewhat optimistic.”

“They’ve at least invited us to sit at the table,” Tornek said. “And [Planning Director] David Reyes is actually attending telephone meetings with the key staff people who are working on these bills and helping the state legislature understand that Pasadena shouldn’t be lumped together with cities that haven’t built any housing, much less affordable housing.”

The city has been embroiled in a battle against state laws that soften — and in some cases remove — the city’s ability to control zoning and building ordinances.

The city is supporting two bills — SB902 and SB995— discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, SB902 would allow duplexes in cities with fewer than 10,000 residents, triplexes in cities with between 10,000 to 50,000 residents and fourplexes in cities with more than 50,000. However, cities would maintain control over building heights and design guidelines.

SB995 would allow a CEQA exemption for housing projects if 15 percent of the units were set aside for affordable housing and cost at least $15 million.

“We’re making progress,” Tornek said. They are listening. They’re working on a variety of ways to give us credit for what we’ve built and what we’ve done. And I’m optimistic about the outcome. I mean, we shifted our strategy. Remember last year we were talking about litigating with the state and I became convinced. And I think the rest of the council was convinced that litigation was not productive.”

Besides SB902, SB995, the city opposes SB1085, SB1120, SB1385, which increase density bonuses, allows by-right duplexes and establishes a new law which authorizes residential uses on properties zoned for commercial office and retail uses.

The city has taken no position has been taken on SB 899, SB 1299.

SB899 would establish by-right affordable housing on sites owned by religious institutions and nonprofit hospitals.

SB 1299 would establish a sales tax rebate for converting retail sites to affordable and workforce housing.

The bills are scheduled to go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 18.

The city wrote several position letters that included requests for amendments that provide relief for “good actors”

The city will continue ongoing conversations with offices of California senators Anthony Portantino, Mike McGuire, and Toni Atkins about the potential legislation.

Sacramento legislators, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have been pushing bills that force cities to build more housing while limiting public hearings and zoning laws as a way to end the state’s affordable housing crisis.

“Pasadena has built thousands of units,” Tornek said. “We built a lot of affordable units. We continue in spite of people who don’t want us to build anything else. So we really don’t want to be treated like the cities that have just said we’re not building.”