BAKERSFIELD CITY COUNCIL
POST-MEETING AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING
May 13, 2026, 3:30 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Avenue
1. ROLL CALL
2. PUBLIC STATEMENTS
a. Non-Agenda Item Public Statements
b. Agenda Item Public Statements
3. APPOINTMENTS
4. REPORTS
a. Presentation regarding the Certified 6th Cycle Housing Element Annual Progress Report and required Code Amendments.
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file the presentation. *1. PowerPoint Presentation
5. CLOSED SESSION
a. Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation; Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1) regarding Rocky Legault; Dominic Ledesma v. City of Bakersfield; Does 1 to 25. Kern County Superior Court Case No. BCV-25- 100236
6. CLOSED SESSION ACTION
7. ADJOURNMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: May 13, 2026 AGENDA CATEGORY: Reports TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Phillip Burns, Development Services Director
DATE: April 27, 2026
SUBJECT: Presentation regarding the Certified 6th Cycle Housing Element
Annual Progress Report and required Code Amendments.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file the presentation
BACKGROUND:
Since 1969, California has required that all local governments (cities and counties) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. Government Code section 65400 requires that each city prepare an Annual Progress Report (APR) on the status of the housing element of its general plan and progress in its implementation.
On November 24, 2025, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) certified the City of Bakersfield’s 6th cycle Housing Element (2023-2031). The City’s Housing Element outlines targeted programs to identify and remove policy constraints that could impede housing development, while also providing affirmative measures to facilitate construction and meet Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) obligations by 2031.
As part of the action items within the Housing Element included specific code amendments are required to be updated.
Staff will provide a presentation regarding the 6th Cycle Housing Element, Annual Progress Report and required Code Amendments.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Currently, there is no request for budgetary items resulting in a fiscal impact to the General Fund.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Community Character & Quality of Life
ATTACHMENT:
None
6thCycle Housing Element and 2025 Annual Report
May 13, 2026
Agenda– May 13, 20261. Regional Housing Needs Allocation2. 6thCycle Housing Element Certification3. Action Item – Dedicate Funding4. Action Item – Policy/Code Amendments5. Action Item - Programs6. Annual Progress Report Overview7. Moving Forward
Regional Housing Needs Allocation•State-mandated housing targets based on DOF population projections•Distributed to local jurisdictions by Kern COG based on items like past development patterns•Sets planning benchmarks—not a construction requirement, but cities must planfor these units•Bakersfield’s 6thCycle RHNA (adopted 6/2022):• Very Low : 11,129 units*• Low : 7,082units• Moderate : 5,317units• Above Moderate : 13,933 units• Total: 37,461units of Kern County’s 57,650 units* Includes Extremely and Acutely Low
Housing Plan Goals
• 5 Goals and Programs Policies
• Determined 28 PoliciesImplementation
• Focused on 20 Implementation ProgramsAction
• 112 Action Itemstasks
• Involving 277 tasks
Goals and Policies
Conserve and Preserve the Existing Housing Opportunities, Viable Housing Stock, and Neighborhoods in Bakersfield. Goal H-1 Assist the Development of Housing Affordable to Extremely Low-, Very Low-, Low-and Moderate-Income Levels and populations with Special NeedsGoal H-2 Increase Housing Production by Providing Adequate Sites for a Variety of Housing Types and Removing Constraints to Residential DevelopmentGoal H-3 Advance Fair Housing, Equity, and InclusionGoal H-4
Housing for Individuals and Families Experiencing HomelessnessGoal H-5
Action items8 Study – conduct a new study.11 Grants – pursue grants.11 Permitting – creating streamline14 Report – draft a report on program status or results.14 Funds – dedicate funds to a certain task or program.15 Inventory – focused on having specific types of units or sites as part of our inventory.15 Website – update website with specific information.27 Monitoring – some sort of monitoring or data tracking.41 Policy – requiring a policy and/or code change.60 Program – creating a program or modify/continue an existing program.64 Outreach – Conduct outreach activity i.e. internal, public or developer.
The 20 Programs resulted in 112 reportable actions with 277 tasks broken down into general activities below:
Dedicate funding•140 home repairs for owner-occupied housing units•Provide rehabilitation funding to CBOs in prioritized areas to acquire and rehab units and sell them to low income•Provide funding for minor repair of 16 owner occupied mobile homes•Provide at least 100 households with Home Access Grant•Rehabilitate 25 affordable housing units from foreclosed or tax default properties•Serve 3,000 persons with shelter assistance and 200 households with rapid re-housing or homelessness prevention.•Support the rehab or development of at least 200 units of housing to extremely low and persons at risk of becoming homeless (include tiny homes, micro units, SRO units, co-housing and other alternative housing
Policy/Code Amendments
Policy/Code AmendmentsSection 8.27.012.Adds language requiring that upon receiving a complaint from a tenant regarding alleged lead hazards or substandard conditions, the City will conduct a mandatory inspection and specify actions taken to mitigate hazards present (H&S Code §17970.5 Act.2.2)Section 17.04.200.Adds language to the definition of a single unit dwelling by expanding to include manufactured homes and mobile homes if certain requirements are met. (Act 5.6(5)) Section 17.04.235.Adds language to the definition of an emergency shelter by expanding to include a low barrier navigation center, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care (AB2339, Act 5.6(6))Section 17.04.356.Adds a definition of site inventory, as it relates to the HE and land suitable for residential development. (Act 6.7) Section 17.10.020.Adds language involving residential developments:•On sites identified in the Housing Element that contain existing lower-income units and requires replacement units be provided (GC §65583.2(g)(3)Act 5.6 (8))•Amend Table 17.10-1 eliminating a requirement for a conditional use permit for large community care facilities and allow them by-right. Residents per unit will be analyzed based on similar use, pursuant to Fire and Building Codes. (Act 5.6 (7))
Policy/Code Amendments cont. Section 17.10.040.Adds language involving the streamlined ministerial review process of multifamily residential development (GC §65913.4.); and adds language involving the ministerial approval of no more than two primary residential units in a residential zone, the urban lot split in a residential zone into two parcels, or both, (up to four housing units in the lot area) pursuant to (GC §65852.21 and §66411.7 Act 8.15 & 12.6).Section 17.24.020.Adds emergency shelters to the uses permitted under the Regional Commercial Zone (C-2 zone) (AB 101, AB 2339, SB 340, Act 5.6 (4)).Section 17.25.020.Adds low barrier navigation centers to the uses permitted under the Central Business Zone (C-B zone) (AB 101, AB 2339, SB 340, Act 5.6(7)).Section 17.26.020.Adds low barrier navigation centers to the uses permitted under the Commercial Center Zone (C-C zone) (AB 101, AB 2339, SB 340, Act 5.6(7)).Section 17.58.015.Adds language that minimum parking standards for residential parking are not required for supportive housing developments with up to 50 units located within 0.5 miles of a public transit stop (AB 2162, Act 11.7). Section 17.64.060.Removes subjective language as it relates to City making findings on a conditional use permit. (Act 12.5) Section 17.73.040.Removes subjective language as it relates to City making findings on a reasonable accommodation. (Act 5.4)
APR OverviewAPR Submission ProcessTrack housing production data (Jan – Dec 2025)Evaluate progress on Housing Element programsComplete HCD Reporting formsSubmit by April 1st Annual Progress Report Overview
2025 Units PermittedCalendar Year202420252026-2031Total Units to Date (includes projection period)Total Remaining RHNAby Income LevelPercent CompleteAverage units/year still needed to achieve RHNA by 2031Income LevelRHNA by Income LevelYear1Year 2Year3-8Acutely Low- - - - - - - -Extremely Low- 127 43 - 170* - - -Very Low11,129 170 96 - 266* 10,693* 2.4% 1,782Low7,082 148 63 - 211 6,871 2.9% 1,146Moderate5,317 0 6 - 6 5,311 0.1% 885Above Moderate13,933 2,368 1,917 - 4,285 9,648 30.7% 1,608Total37,4612,643 2,125 - 4,768 32,693 12.7%5,421
Summary and Next Steps•Bakersfield is behind on building permits issued and will need at least 5,421 per year for the remaining cycle•Resources needed to accomplish every item $26 Mil*•Staffing needs result in 2.5+ Full Time Equivalent•Limited very-low and moderate-income housing production housing completions in 2025•Continued focus on affordable housing strategies