July 1, 2025
The Honorable Nick Schultz
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Room # 5150
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 306 (Schultz) Building regulations: state building standards.
Notice of OPPOSITION (As Amended June 10, 2025)
Dear Assemblymember Schultz:
On behalf of the City of Cupertino, I am writing to express our opposition to your Assembly Bill (AB) 306. This bill would place a moratorium from June 1, 2025, to June 1, 2031, on local government’s ability to amend or adopt local building standards for residential development unless deemed necessary as an emergency by the California Building Standards Commission.
Local jurisdictions have long held the authority to tailor building codes to suit their communities’ unique geographic, climatic, and topographic conditions. These local modifications, made through a transparent public process and grounded in documented findings, allow cities to safeguard public health and safety in a way that reflects on-the-ground realities. AB 306 directly limits that ability, even when the need for local customization is well- supported and reasonable.
While the City of Cupertino shares the broader goal of increasing housing supply and affordability, AB 306 goes too far in restricting local authority under the guise of promoting uniformity. The bill assumes that all building environments are the same statewide and creates a one-size-fits-all mandate that ignores variations. Our city, like many others in California, may need to adopt or revise building standards to improve seismic safety, reduce wildfire risks, ensure energy efficiency, or protect water quality—actions that can be critical to protecting both residents and housing stock.
This measure also contradicts longstanding policy that recognizes the need for local input in the building code adoption process. Limiting local discretion for a period of six years risks unintended consequences for the environment and public safety and fails to respect the collaborative nature of California’s existing building standards framework.
Rather than restricting local flexibility, what is needed is continued partnership between state and local agencies to support responsible and sustainable housing production—without compromising local safety standards or responsiveness.
For these reasons, the City of Cupertino opposes AB 306.
Sincerely,
Liang Chao
Mayor
City of Cupertino
cc. The Honorable Josh Becker
The Honorable Patrick Ahrens
Senate Housing Committee