Agenda packet — Hawaiian Gardens City Council, December 11, 2024 (part 1 of 6)

CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
Dandy De Paula, Mayor Pro Tem
Maria Teresa Del Rio, Councilmember
Luis Roa, Councilmember
Ernie Vargas, Councilmember
Victor Farfan, Mayor
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Regular Meeting, 6:00 PM
Ernesto Marquez, City Manager
Megan Garibaldi, City Attorney
Pablo Rubio, City Clerk
Meeting Location: City Council Chambers, 21815 Pioneer Boulevard, Hawaiian Gardens, California.

ADA Information: The City of Hawaiian Gardens complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Anyone needing special assistance please contact the City Clerk’s Department at (562) 4202641 x 240, at least one (1) business day prior to the meeting so that we may accommodate you.

Bilingual Information: Anyone needing a Spanish bilingual interpreter for ORAL COMMUNICATION ONLY, please contact the City Clerk’s Department at (562) 4202641 x 240, at least one (1) business day prior to the meeting so that we may accommodate you.

The meeting can be viewed as a curtesy only and with no guarantee as to feasibility and disruption via various platforms as follows:

City of Hawaiian Gardens local cable/channel:

ATT 99
FRONTIER 16
Spectrum 36
Live Stream via City website at: www.hgcity.org.

INVOCATION
FLAG SALUTE
ROLL CALL
PUBLIC HEARING COMMENTS AND AGENDA GENERAL COMMENTS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED AND CONDUCTED AS FOLLOWS:

Pleasenotethatpubliccommentisonlyguaranteedtobetakeninpersonduringthemeetingor

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Spectrum 36
Live Stream via City website at: www.hgcity.org.

INVOCATION
FLAG SALUTE
ROLL CALL
PUBLIC HEARING COMMENTS AND AGENDA GENERAL COMMENTS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED AND CONDUCTED AS FOLLOWS:

Please note that public comment is only guaranteed to be taken inperson during the meeting or prior to the meeting inwriting by complying with the below procedures. Remote participation is provided as a courtesy only and should not be relied upon to guarantee participation in the meeting. The City reserves the right to terminate remote participation methods (subject to Brown Act restrictions) at any time and for whatever reason. So long as the public may still attend the meeting inperson, the meeting will continue.

VIA WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE / ECOMMENT: Members of the public who wish to comment on matters before the City may submit written correspondence to the following email address: [email protected], or by ecomment on the City’s website, by no later than Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 4:00pm. Note: Written correspondence will not be read into the record during the meeting; however, correspondence received by 4:00pm will be forwarded to the City Council, made a part of the official record, and made available for public review during the meeting. If submitting a comment pertaining to an agenda item, please reference the agenda item.

INPERSON COMMENT the City Council will provide members of the public with the opportunity to address the City Council inperson on any issues within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council or to speak on items on and off the agenda, except for Public Hearing items. Each speaker shall be limited to three (3) minutes of public comment at each regular meeting. The City Council shall not discuss or take action relative to any public comment unless authorized by California Government Code Section 54954.2(b).

COURTESY VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION: As noted above, remote participation is offered merely as a courtesy and convenience. The City cannot guarantee that the public's access to remote participation will be uninterrupted. The City cannot guarantee it will not terminate use of remote participation during the meeting. In order to ensure participation in the meeting, please attend inperson or submit a written comment as set forth above.

Courtesy remote participation will be conducted as follows: All members of the public participating via Zoom will be placed on mute, except for during the opportunity for public comments and when recognized by the Mayor. Members of the public may participate via Zoom by logging on via the information below:

Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84396805805?
pwd=b3dOSGJmdTdiVjZGQWR4VkxxalBidz09

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

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COURTESY VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION: As noted above, remote participation is offered merely as a courtesy and convenience. The City cannot guarantee that the public's access to remote participation will be uninterrupted. The City cannot guarantee it will not terminate use of remote participation during the meeting. In order to ensure participation in the meeting, please attend inperson or submit a written comment as set forth above.

Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84396805805?
pwd=b3dOSGJmdTdiVjZGQWR4VkxxalBidz09
Meeting ID: 843 9680 5805 Passcode: HG1
Members of the public shall have the right to observe and offer public comment at the public meeting, consistent with the public's rights of access and public comment otherwise provided for by the Brown Act, as applicable (including, but not limited to, the requirement that such right of access and public comment be made available in a manner consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act). The City reserves the right to utilize teleconferencing in accordance with AB 2449.

PRESENTATIONS

1. PRESENTATIONS TO MAYOR VICTOR FARFAN AND THE MAYOR’S FAREWELL

COMMENTS
A. BUSINESS ITEMS

1. Recommendation to adopt Resolution No. 0392024, declaring the results of the General Municipal Election held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

2. Administer the Oath of Office to the Newly Elected Members of the City Council:

Victor Farfan and Ernie Vargas.

3. Reorganization of Members of the City Council.

4. Roll Call of the New City Council.

AGENDA ORGANIZATION
This is the time for the City Council to discuss any changes in the order of agenda items.

B. PUBLIC HEARING(S) / HEARING(s)

1. Recommend to (1) adopt Resolution No. 0352024, adopting the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element; (2) adopt Resolution No. 0372024, adopting the Initial Study for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update; (3) Conduct first reading of Ordinance No. 2024620, amending Sections 18.30, 18.40, 18.50, 18.55, 18.60, 18.70, 18.90,

18.100 and 18.110 of the City of Hawaiian Gardens Municipal Code, and amending the Zoning Code Map; and (4) adopt Resolution No. 0362024, adopting the amended General Plan Land Use Element and Map.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

C. CONSENT CALENDAR

1. WAIVE READING IN FULL OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS ON THE AGENDA

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Housing Element; (2) adopt Resolution No. 0372024, adopting the Initial Study for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update; (3) Conduct first reading of Ordinance No. 2024620, amending Sections 18.30, 18.40, 18.50, 18.55, 18.60, 18.70, 18.90,

18.100 and 18.110 of the City of Hawaiian Gardens Municipal Code, and amending the Zoning Code Map; and (4) adopt Resolution No. 0362024, adopting the amended General Plan Land Use Element and Map.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

C. CONSENT CALENDAR

1. WAIVE READING IN FULL OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS ON THE AGENDA
That the City Council waive reading in full of all ordinances and resolutions on the agenda and declare that said titles which appear on the public agenda shall be determined to have been read by title and further reading waived.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

2. Recommendation to conduct second reading of Ordinance No. 2024618, amending Section 18.90.080 of the City of Hawaiian Gardens Municipal Code relating to Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units and finding the action to be statutorily exempt from CEQA under Public Resources Code § 21080.17.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

3. Recommendation to approve Order Form pursuant to the OpenGov Software Agreement.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

4. Recommendation to adopt Resolution No. 0382024, to writeoff loans from the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the Hawaiian Gardens Housing Authority to the Hawaiian Gardens Successor Agency, as a result of a determination by the State Department of Finance (DOF) to deny approval of the loans as enforceable obligations of the Hawaiian Gardens Successor Agency.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

5. Recommendation to receive and file warrants processed during the period of November 2 to November 29, 2024.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation

6. Recommendation to authorize the City Manager to modify the use of ARPA funds for the Carson Street Beautification Project, or other projects, as needed to replace the use of General Fund Reserves.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

7. Recommendation to receive and file the Public Works Department Permits Report for the months of October and November 2024.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

8. Recommendation to accept construction improvements by Crosstown Electric & Data Inc. for the HSIP Cycle 8 Carson Street Signal Hardware Improvements, Project 106 (Federal Project No. HSIPL5387012), and authorize the City Clerk to file the

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the Carson Street Beautification Project, or other projects, as needed to replace the use of General Fund Reserves.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

7. Recommendation to receive and file the Public Works Department Permits Report for the months of October and November 2024.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

9. Recommendation to accept construction improvements by Crosstown Electric & Data Inc. for the HSIP Cycle 8 Norwalk Boulevard Signal Hardware Improvements, Project 107 (Federal Project No. HSIPL5387013), and authorize the City Clerk to file the notice of completion.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

10. Recommendation to accept construction improvements by Ran Enterprises Inc., for the C. Robert lee HVAC Replacement, Project 103, and authorize the City Clerk to file the notice of completion.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

11. Recommendation to approve the minutes for the City Council meeting of Wednesday, November 13, 2024; the Special Meeting of Wednesday, November 20, 2024; and the Joint Meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission of Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

12. Recommendation to receive and file various minutes for the Public Safety Commission for the month of October 2024; and the Recreation and Parks Commission for the month of November 2024.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

D. DISCUSSION ITEM(S)

1. Recommendation to adopt Resolution No. 0402024, approving the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees AFLCIO, Local 3624, Council 36, Rank and File Unit.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

2. Recommendation to adopt Resolution No. 0412024, adopting a revised salary schedule for employees within the American Federation of the State, County, and Municipal Employees AFLCIO, Local 3624, Council 36, Rank and File Unit Rank & File Unit.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

ENEWBUSINESS

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Understanding between the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees AFLCIO, Local 3624, Council 36, Rank and File Unit.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve Recommendation.

E. NEW BUSINESS
F. ORAL STAFF REPORT(S)
G. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT(S)
H. ORAL COUNCIL REPORT(S)
I. CLOSED SESSION
J. ADJOURNMENT
Adjourn to the next Regular City Council meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM.

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CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS

CITY COUNCIL

STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #A1
DATE: December 11, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Ernesto Marquez, City Manager
BY: Pablo Rubio, City Clerk
RECOMMENDATION:

Recommendation to adopt Resolution No. 039-2024 declaring the results of the General Municipal Election held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

SUMMARY
Attached is the Resolution pertaining to the results of the City of Hawaiian Gardens General Municipal Election held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. As certified by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

The two (2) successful candidates are as follows:

Name: Term:

Victor Farfan Full term of four (4) years
Ernie Vargas Full term of four (4) years
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Certificate of the Canvass of the Election Returns and Statement of Votes Cast, attached as Exhibit A to the Resolution provides the number of votes by precinct.

FISCAL IMPACT
None.

SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve Recommendation.

ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution No. 039-2024 with LARR/CC Certificate of Canvass of the Election Returns 1 Resolution No. 039-2024

CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS
RESOLUTION NO. 039-2024

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CALIFORNIA, RECITING THE FACT OF

THE GENERAL CONSOLIDATED MUNICIPAL ELECTION
HELD ON NOVEMBER 5, 2024, DECLARING THE RESULTS

AND SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS PROVIDED BY LAW
WHEREAS, a General Consolidated Municipal Election was held and conducted in the City of Hawaiian Gardens, California, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as required by law; and
WHEREAS, notice of the election was given in time, form and manner as provided by law; that voting precincts were properly established; that election officers were appointed and that in all respects the election was held and conducted and the votes were cast, received and canvassed and the returns made and declared in time, form and manner as required by the provisions of the Elections Code of the State of California for the holding of elections in general law cities; and
WHEREAS, the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk's Office, Election Department, canvassed the returns of the election and has certified the results to this City Council, the results are received, attached and made a part hereof as "Exhibit A".

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HAWAIIAN

GARDENS, CALIFORNIA, DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. That the whole number of ballots cast in the precincts except vote by mail voter ballots and provisional ballots was 1,133. That the whole number of vote by mail voter ballots cast (including provisional ballots) in the City was 2,525, making a total of 3,658 ballots cast in the City.

SECTION 2. That the names of persons voted for at the election for Member of the City Council, full term are as follows:

VICTOR FARFAN

JESUS MENDOZA

JESSE ALVARADO

ERNIE VARGAS
SECTION 3. That the number of votes given at each precinct and the number of votes given in the City to each of the persons above named for the respective offices for which the persons were candidates were as listed in the Exhibit "A" attached. 2 Resolution No. 039-2024
SECTION 4. The City Council does declare and determine that:

VICTOR FARFAN was elected as Member of the City Council for the full term of four (4) years.

ERNIE VARGAS was elected as Member of the City Council for the full term of four (4) years.

SECTION 5. The City Clerk shall enter on the records of the City Council of the City of Hawaiian Gardens, a statement of the result of the election, showing: (1) The whole number of ballots cast in the City; (2) The names of the persons voted for; (3) For what office each person was voted for; (4) the number of votes given at each precinct to each person; (5) The total number of votes given to each person.

SECTION 6. That the City Clerk shall immediately make and deliver to each of the persons so elected a Certificate of Election signed by the City Clerk and authenticated; that the City Clerk shall also administer to each person elected the Oath of Office prescribed in the Constitution of the State of California and shall have them subscribe to it and file it in the office of the City Clerk. Each and all the persons so elected shall then be inducted into the respective office to which they have been elected.

SECTION 7. The Mayor of the City of Hawaiian Gardens is hereby authorized to affix his/her signature to this Resolution signifying its approval and adoption by the City Council of the City Hawaiian Gardens.

SECTION 8. That the City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution and enter it into the book of original resolutions.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Hawaiian Gardens, California on this 11
th day of December 2024.

CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS
________________________________
MAYOR
ATTEST:
___________________________________

PABLO RUBIO

CITY CLERK

EXHIBIT A
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk

CERTIFICATE OF THE CANVASS

OF THE ELECTION RETURNS
I, DEAN C. LOGAN, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk of the County of Los Angeles, of the State of California, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that pursuant to the provisions of Section 15300 et seq. of the California Elections Code, I canvassed the returns of the votes cast for each elective office and/or measure(s) for at the General Election, held on the 5th day of November, 2024.

FURTHER CERTIFY that the Statement of Votes Cast, to which this certificate is attached, shows the total number of ballots cast in said jurisdiction, and that the whole number of votes cast for each candidate and/or measure(s) in said jurisdiction in each of the respective precincts therein, and the totals of the respective columns and the totals as shown for each candidate and/or measure(s) are full, true and correct.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal this 3rd day of December 2024.
~~ DEAN C. LOGAN
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
County of Los Angeles
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 11/05/24 GENERAL ELECTION 42.1 -Page- 91 HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION Member of the City Council FINAL OFFICIAL V2

STATEMENT OF VOTES CAST

BY PRECINCT
Location Registration
Ballots
Cast

VICTOR FARFANJESUS MENDOZAJESSE ALVARADOERNIE VARGAS
HAWAIIAN GARDENS - 2650007A 617 147 272 233 211
VOTE BY MAIL SERIAL 0309 1,416 604 479 444 540
TOTAL 3,541 2,033 751 751 677 751
HAWAIIAN GARDENS - 2650013A 516 174 180 178 179
VOTE BY MAIL SERIAL 0310 1,109 467 328 366 425
TOTAL 2,739 1,625 641 508 544 604
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 11/05/24 GENERAL ELECTION 42.2 -Page- 92 HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION Member of the City Council FINAL OFFICIAL V2

STATEMENT OF VOTES CAST

BY PRECINCT
Location Registration
Ballots
Cast

VICTOR FARFANJESUS MENDOZAJESSE ALVARADOERNIE VARGAS
PRECINCT TOTAL 1,133 321 452 411 390
VBM TOTAL 2,525 1,071 807 810 965
GRAND TOTAL 6,280 3,658 1,392 1,259 1,221 1,355

CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS

CITY COUNCIL

STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #B1
DATE: December 11, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Elise McCaleb, Community Development Director
RECOMMENDATIONS:

Recommend adoption of the following items as they pertain to the Zoning Code Amendment, General Plan Amendment, and 6th Cycle Housing Element:

1. Approve Resolution No. 035-2024 adopting the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element update consistent with the statutory requirements of the California Housing Element Law; and

2. Approve Resolution No. 037-2024 adopting the Initial Study which determined that the adoption of the items addressed herein will not result in any potentially significant impacts to the environment, and that no additional environmental assessment is required under Government Code section 65759(a)(2)); and

3. Adopt Ordinance No. 2024-620 amending Hawaiian Gardens Zoning Code Chapters 18.20, 18.30, 18.40, 18.50, 18.55, 18.60, 18.70, 18.90, 18.100 and adding Chapter 18.110 to the Zoning Code and adopting an amended Hawaiian Gardens Municipal Code Zoning Map; and

4. Approve Resolution No. 036-2024 adopting the amended General Plan Land Use Element and Map.

SUMMARY
This item includes multiple actions for the adoption and implementation of the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element. The City Council recommendations are as follows: 1) adopt the 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element; 2) adopt the Initial Study; 3) amend the City’s zoning code in accordance with the programs identified in the Housing Element and the City’s official Zoning Map; and 4) amend the City’s General Plan to ensure internal consistency with the Housing Element and update the City’s official General Plan Land Use Map.
6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
December 11, 2024

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BACKGROUND:

In California, a city must adopt a general plan to guide the long-term lang use planning and development. The general plan is required to include a housing element (HE). The HE is required to address a city’s existing and projected housing needs for people of all income levels based upon the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).

The HE is governed by the Housing Element Law. HEs are completed every eight (8) years. The 5th Cycle HE expired in 2021. The 6th Cycle HE covers 2021-2029. The 6th Cycle housing elements were required to be adopted by jurisdictions in the Southern California Association of Government (SCAG) region by October 15, 2021. Cities failing to meet this deadline were found to be out of compliance with State law and were at risk of numerous penalties.

The City of Hawaiian Gardens (City) was allocated 331 units distributed by four (4) income categories as shown in the table below.

Income Level Number of Required
Units
Percentage of Total
Very Low (up to 50% of
AMI)*
61 18.4%
Low (51-80% of AMI) 44 13.29%
Moderate (81-120% of AMI 46 13.89%
Above Moderate (+120% of
AMI
180 54.38%
TOTAL: 331 100%
The City has submitted six (6) drafts of the HE to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). On September 20, 2024, HCD issued its determination letter which found that the HE meets all statutory requirements.

Since the City missed the deadline for adoption of the 6th cycle housing elements by more than a year, the City must not only adopt the HE, but must implement the rezoning programs identified in the HE to accommodate the City’s RHNA requirements before it can be found to be in compliance with State housing law.

In 2023, Californians for Homeownership, Inc. (CH) sued the City for not having an approved 6th Cycle HE in place (Case: 23STCP00624). CH and the COHG attended a hearing in November 2023. The judge ruled in favor of CH and ordered the City to complete its rezone within 60 days of entry of a final judgement. The City is still awaiting the entry of final judgement.
6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
December 11, 2024

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ANALYSIS:

Housing Element
The draft HE that has been reviewed by HCD and found to meet the requirements of State law. It is organized into eight sections, including an Executive Summary, Introduction, Housing Needs Analysis, Regional Housing Needs Assessment and Special Housing Needs, Resources and Constraints, Land Inventory, Evaluation of the Previous Housing Element, and Housing Goals, Policies, Programs, and Quantified Objectives.

The HE also identifies 37 programs that the City will implement during the 6th Cycle. These programs address the City’s RHNA requirements, among other things. Most notably, these programs commit the City to creating multiple new zoning designations, including Mixed-Use 1 (MU1) and Mixed-Use 2 (MU2) zones, and the Religious Institution Housing (RIH) zone.

The HE identifies six (6) housing sites that make use of these new zoning designations to accommodate the City’s RHNA requirements. The six sites are described below.

Casino overflow parking lot: The casino overflow parking lot is located at 22601 Norwalk Blvd. (APNs 7075-020-007 and -010) adjacent to the southern boundary of the City. The site is currently being used as overflow parking for the Gardens Casino located approximately 1 mile northwest of the site. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from C-4 to MU-1, which would allow for the development of residential uses at 20 to 30 units per acre, either with or without a commercial component. It is anticipated that this

0.88-acre site would accommodate at least 17 new homes, with 2 affordable to very lowincome households, 2 affordable to low-income households, 2 affordable to moderateincome households, and 11 affordable to above moderate-income households.

Shopping center: The shopping center is located at 12529 Carson Street adjacent to the eastern boundary of the City. The site consists of 5 parcels that are owned by the same property owner (APNs 7066-013-059 through –063), which when combined, total 4.7 acres. The site is currently being used as a commercial shopping center and contains a large parking lot. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from C-4 to MU-2, which would allow for the development of residential uses at 30 to 40 units per acre, either with or without a commercial component. It is anticipated that this 4.7-acre site would accommodate at least 141 new homes, with 9 affordable to very low-income households, 18 affordable to low-income households, 21 affordable to moderate-income households, and 93 affordable to above moderate-income households.

Elks Lodge, City-owned lot, and adjacent parcels: This site is located at 12507 Carson Street, approximately 150 feet west of the shopping center site. The site consists of 4 parcels (APNs 7066-013-057; -064, -046, -913), which when combined, total 3.98 acres.

The existing uses on the site include the Elks Lodge building with a large, underutilized parking lot; the western portion of a commercial shopping center; 3 residential units; and 6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
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a vacant lot owned by the City. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from C-4 to MU-1, which would allow for the development of residential uses at 20 to 30 units per acre, either with or without a commercial component. It is anticipated that this 3.98-acre site would accommodate at least 77 new homes, with 19 affordable to very low-income households, 11 affordable to low-income households, 15 affordable to moderate-income households, and 32 affordable to above moderate-income households.

Planet Fitness Gym: The gym is located at 21101 Norwalk Boulevard adjacent to the northern boundary of the City (APN 7065-001-015). The existing use of the site includes a Planet Fitness gym and large parking lot. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from C-4 to MU-2, which would allow for the development of residential uses at 30 to 40 units per acre, either with or without a commercial component. It is anticipated that this

2.72-acre site would accommodate at least 82 new homes, with 5 affordable to very lowincome households, 11 affordable to low-income households, 10 affordable to moderateincome households, and 56 affordable to above moderate-income households.

Auto Zone: The site is located at 21418 Norwalk Boulevard and consists of an Auto Zone and large parking lot. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from C-4 to MU-1, which would allow for the development of residential uses at 20 to 30 units per acre, either with or without a commercial component. It is anticipated that this 1.1-acre site would accommodate at least 22 new homes, with 2 affordable to very low-income households, 4 affordable to low-income households, 5 affordable to moderate-income households, and 11 affordable to above moderate-income households.

Church of Deliverance International: The church is located at 12441 Farlow Street (APN 7066-013-020) near the northern boundary within the eastern portion of the City. The site is a total of 1.06 acres and consists of a church building and surface parking lot. The HE commits the City to rezone this site from R-1 to RIH, which would allow for the development of affordable housing alongside the existing church use. The RIH zone would be a local implementation of the State’s SB 4 law, which already allows churches to develop housing on their property. It is anticipated that the approximately 0.95 acre of the site, currently being used for parking, could be redeveloped into affordable housing.

The RIH zone would allow for densities of 20 to 30 units per acre. This site would be able to accommodate at least 19 homes affordable to very-low income households on the parking lot portion of the site.

In addition to these six identified sites, the City is relying upon the continued construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to help meet its RHNA requirements. Based on the number of permits issued for ADUs in 2021 and 2022, it is anticipated that a total of 78 ADUs will be built in the City during the 6th Cycle.
6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
December 11, 2024

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Based on research conducted by SCAG and accepted by HCD, it is anticipated that these ADUs will be affordable to households with a range of incomes, as shown below:
12 Extremely-low income
6 Very-low income
35 Low income
2 Moderate income
23 Above-moderate income
78 Total
In total, these sites and the anticipated ADUs meet the City’s RHNA requirements with a surplus at each income category. The surplus is necessary (and required by HCD) so that the City does not fall out of compliance with State law if an identified housing site is built with fewer units than anticipated, which could cause the City to have insufficient housing sites identified to meet its RHNA. The City’s RHNA requirements and the number of housing units accommodated with the implementation of the HE at each income level is shown below:

Total Surplus
Income Level RHNA Capacity Surplus Percent
Very-low 61 74 13 21%
Low 44 81 37 84%
Moderate 46 55 9 20%
Above Moderate 180 267 87 48%
Total 331 477 146 44%
Zoning Code Amendment
The proposed zoning code amendment would implement many of the programs identified in the HE, including: 1) creating the MU1, MU2, and RIH zones; 2) creating objective development standards for multi-family residential development; 3) reducing setbacks and open space requirements for existing multi-family zones; 4) establishing residential densities for mixed-use development in the C-2 and C-4 zones; 5) creating new by-right review standards for projects that meet the objective design standards; 6) updating density bonus section to reference State law; 7) adding new permitted uses in the City’s residential and non-residential zones for shelters, navigation centers, residential care facilities, and other uses required by state law; and 8) other changes to ensure consistency between the City’s existing code and the new code sections and amendments. The zoning code amendments are detailed by chapter below:

Chapter 18.30 – Zoning Map: The amendment to Chapter 18.30, Zoning Map, adds the RIH, MU-1, and MU-2 as zones, which are further defined in later articles.

Chapter 18.40 – Residential Zones: The amendment to Chapter 18.40, Residential Zones, is amended to add the RIH zone and its development standards and permitted uses, establish the residential density permitted in each residential zone, remove the 6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
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minimum lot area per unit in the R-2, R-3, and R-4 zones, reduce the setbacks and open space requirements in the R-2, R-3 and R-4 zones, and permit additional housing types in residential zones as required by State law.

Chapter 18.50 – Residential Regulations: The amendment to Chapter 18.50, Residential Regulations, is amended to add development standards and application requirements for single room occupancies, reduce parking requirements in multi-family residential zones, and amends residential development standards for parking; landscaping; enclosures; fences, walls, gates, and hedges; lighting and security; height of structures; yard encroachments; and residential design standards to be consistent with the multi-family residential development standards established in Chapter 18.55- Mixed-Use Zones.

Chapter 18.55 – Mixed-Use Zones: Chapter 18.55, Mixed-Use Zones, is a new section of the zoning code to regulate the development of the MU-1 and MU-2 zones. Chapter 18.55 provides for the allowed uses and development standards for these zones. In addition, Chapter 18.55 includes a number of objective design standards to ensure that new mixeduse developments are compatible with the existing buildings in Hawaiian Gardens.

Minimum floor area per dwelling unit
Single room occupancy 150 square feet
Efficiency apartment 450 square feet
1-Bedroom unit 750 square feet
2+-Bedroom unit 950 square feet
Building Envelope
MU-1 MU-2
Residential density 20 to 30 du/ac 30 to 40 du/ac
Maximum height* 3 stories or 36 feet,
whichever is less
4 stories or 48 feet,
whichever is less
Ground Floor Commercial Setbacks and Build-to-Lines**
Front Built-to Line Within 5 feet of right-of-way
Side Built-to Line Within 5 feet of right-of-way
Side abutting a
residential zone
10 feet, plus 1 foot for each foot the bldg. exceeds 30 feet in height
Rear None required
Rear abutting a
residential zone
10 feet, plus 1 foot for each foot the bldg. exceeds 30 feet in height
Ground Floor Residential Setbacks
Front 5 feet to accommodate porches and patios
6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
December 11, 2024

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Front setback buffer 4-foot-wide landscaped buffer, which is permitted within the front yard setback between unit entries
Side 5 feet
Side setback buffer 4-foot-wide landscaped buffer, which is permitted within the side yard setback
Side abutting a residential
zone
10 feet, plus 1 foot for each foot the bldg. exceeds 30 feet in height
Rear None required
Rear abutting a residential
zone
10 feet, plus 1 foot for each foot the bldg. exceeds 30 feet in height
Chapter 18.60 – Non-Residential Zones: The amendment to Chapter 18.60, NonResidential Zones, is amended to establish the residential density for the C-2 and C-4 zones, permit mixed-use development in the C-2 and C-4 zones without a Minor Use Permit, and permit additional housing types in non-residential zones as required by State law, including low barrier navigation centers and emergency shelters.

Chapter 18.70 – Non-Residential Regulations: The amendment to Chapter 18.70, NonResidential Regulations, is amended to remove Section 18.70.100 (Mixed use projects) and specify that development standards for mixed-use developments in the C-2 and C-4 zones will be subject to the development standards set forth in Chapter 18.55, Mixed-Use Zones.

Chapter 18.90 – Supplemental Regulations: The amendment to Chapter 18.90, Supplemental Regulations, is amended to update Section 18.90.070 (Density bonuses) to refer to State law.

Chapter 18.100 – Administration: The amendment to Chapter 18.100, Administration, is amended to indicate that the Community Development Director will grant CEQA exemptions on qualifying projects.

Chapter 18.110 – By-Right Approvals: Chapter 18.110, By-Right Approvals, is a new section of the zoning code to provide for by-right approvals for residential developments that meet the requirements set out in the Chapter. The requirements for projects that are subject to by-right approvals under Chapter 18.110 include: 1) projects on sites identified in the housing element and include 20% of units affordable to lower income households; 2) permanent supportive housing projects; 3) low barrier navigation centers; 4) 100% affordable project on land owned by a religious or higher education institutions; 5) emergency shelters; or 6) single room occupancy projects where at least 20% of the units are affordable to lower income households. Projects meeting these objective design standards may be approved by the City’s Community Development Director without review by the Design Review Committee, Planning Commission, or City Council. 6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
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Zoning Map Update
The proposed zoning map update implements the programs of the Housing Element to rezone the identified housing sites to their respective zoning designations as discussed above and listed here: 2601 Norwalk Blvd. (APNs: 7075-020-007, 010) to Mixed-Use 1 (MU-1); 12529 E. Carson St. (APNs: 7066-013-059, 060, 061, 062, 063 to Mixed-Use 2 (MU-2);12507 E.

Carson St. (APNs: 7066-013-046, 057, 064, 913) to MU-1; 12441 Farlow St. (APN: 7066-013- 020) to Religious Institution Housing; 21418 Norwalk Blvd. (APN: 7066-021-026) to MU-1; and 21101 Norwalk Blvd. (APN: 7065-001-015) to MU-2.

General Plan Amendment
The General Plan Amendment incorporates the MU-1, MU-2, and RIH land use designations in the General Plan Land Use Plan, which will be implemented by the MU1, MU-2, and RIH zones. The Amendment will include a new goal, Goal LU-9, and related policies detailing the purpose of the new mixed-use designations in the Land Use Element and will add new Goal LU-9 and associated policies and implementation actions to the General Plan Implementation Program. The amendment will also add the Mixed-Use 1, Mixed-Use -2, and Religious Institution Housing land use designations within the section of the Land Use Element regarding General Plan Land Use Designations, as well as make minor administrative changes to ensure consistency within the Land Use Element with the addition of the new land use designations. Amendments to other elements of the 6 th Cycle Housing Element Update
December 11, 2024

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General Plan are not anticipated at this time. The City’s General Plan Land Use Map will also be changed.

Goal LU-9 states, “Enable Mixed-Use development to create walkable neighborhoods.” There are three policies that implement Goal LU-9, which state:

LU-9.1 Implement a mixed-use zoning designation that will accommodate the City’s needed housing growth while preserving existing retail tax base.

LU-9.2 Provide appropriate objective development standards to allow for the construction of mixed-use developments at maximum possible land use intensities.

LU-9.3 Require that all mixed-use building facades facing the public right-ofway create an appealing and engaging street frontage.

Land Use Map Update
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December 11, 2024

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ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65759, the California Environmental Quality Act does not apply to this action as it is necessary to bring the General Plan or relevant mandatory elements of the plan into compliance with a court order or judgment.

In place of CEQA, Government Code section 65759 requires the City to prepare an initial study, which must contain substantially the same information as is required for an initial study pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 15080 of Title 14 of the Cal. Code of Regulations. The Initial Study is attached as Exhibit C to Ordinance and, for the reasons provided therein, determined that the adoption of the items addressed above will not result in any potentially significant impacts to the environment, and that no additional environmental assessment is required under Government Code section 65759(a)(2). For these reasons, staffs’ recommendation is for the Planning Commission to recommend that the City Council adopt the initial study.

FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City of Hawaiian Gardens

SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve Recommendations.

ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution No. 035-2024
Exhibit 1 - 6th Cycle Housing Element Update
B. Resolution No. 037-2024
Exhibit 2 - Initial Study
C. Ordinance No. 2024-620
Exhibit 3 - Zoning Code Amendment and Zoning Map
D. Resolution No. 036-2024
Exhibit 4 - General Plan Land Use Element Amendment and Map ATTACHMENT “A”
RESOLUTION NO. 035-2024

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CALIFORNIA ADOPTING THE
2021-2029 6TH CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT
WHEREAS, the City of Hawaiian Gardens California (“City”) is a municipal corporation, duly organized under the constitution and laws of the State of California; and WHEREAS, Government Code § 65580 et seq. requires the City of Hawaiian Gardens to periodically prepare and update its Housing Element in its General Plan. The City’s Housing Element establishes goals, policies, and programs to accommodate the maintenance and expansion of the City’s housing supply; and WHEREAS, the City of Hawaiian Gardens’ draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element includes updated data in compliance with state housing laws and a variety of programs and strategies to address citywide housing needs and priorities; and WHEREAS, on December 16, 2021, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted a first draft of the 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review; and WHEREAS, on, February 14, 2022, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element with a list of necessary revisions; and WHEREAS, on August 9, 2022, the City of Hawaiian Gardens adopted a revised draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element and approved a Negative Declaration of environmental impact for the draft Housing Element; and WHEREAS, on August 15, 2022, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted its adopted 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to HCD for review; and WHEREAS, on September 29, 2022, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element with a list of necessary revisions; and WHEREAS, on February 21, 2023, the City of Hawaiian Gardens adopted a newly revised draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element and approved a Negative Declaration of environmental impact for the draft Housing Element; and WHEREAS, on February 22, 2023, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted its adopted 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to HCD for review; and WHEREAS, on April 21, 2023, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element with a list of necessary revisions; and WHEREAS, on August 18, 2023, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted a draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to HCD for review; and WHEREAS, on October 17, 2023, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s draft 2021-2029 Housing Element with a list of necessary revisions; and ATTACHMENT “A”
WHEREAS, on March 8, 2024, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted a draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to HCD for review; and WHEREAS, on May 7, 2024, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s draft 2021-2029 Housing Element with a list of necessary revisions; and WHEREAS, on July 22, 2024, the City of Hawaiian Gardens submitted a draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element to HCD for review; and WHEREAS, on September 20, 2024, HCD provided a response letter to the City’s draft 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element stating that the draft meets all statutory requirements, and that the City will be deemed to have a compliant Housing Element once it is adopted and the necessary zone changes identified in the Housing Element have been implemented; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code Sections 65580-65589.9 require cities to prepare a Housing Element as a component of each city’s General Plan and to revise it regularly on a schedule set forth in the law; and
WHEREAS, the 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element sets forth the housing policies for the City, facilitates the preservation and development of housing, establishes programs to accommodate the City’s share of the regional housing need in Southern California, and addresses fair housing pursuant to Assembly Bill 686 (AB 686).

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS DOES RESOLVE, DETERMINE, FIND, AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Incorporation. The recitals above are true and correct and are each incorporated by reference and adopted as findings by the Planning Commission.

SECTION 2. Adoption. Given the foregoing and based on the entire record before the City Council, the City Council hereby adopts the 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element consistent with the statutory requirements of the California Housing Element Law, attached as Exhibit “1.”
SECTION 3. Environmental Review. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65759, the California Environmental Quality Act does not apply to this action as it is necessary to bring the General Plan or relevant mandatory elements of the plan into compliance with a court order or judgment. In place of CEQA, Government Code section 65759 requires the City to prepare an initial study, which must contain substantially the same information as is required for an initial study pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 15080 of Title 14 of the Cal. Code of Regulations. The initial study determined that the adoption of the items addressed above will not result in any potentially significant impacts to the environment, and that no additional environmental assessment is required under Government Code section 65759(a)(2).

SECTION 4. Effective Date. This Resolution takes effect immediately upon adoption.

ATTACHMENT “A”
SECTION 5. Certification; Records. The Secretary shall attest as to the adoption of this Resolution and cause the same to be maintained in the permanent records of the City.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 11th DAY OF DECEMBER, 2024, BY THE HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY COUNCIL.

By: _______
MAYOR
ATTEST: ________

PABLO RUBIO, SECRETARY
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City of Hawaiian Gardens
Community Development Department
21815 Pioneer Boulevard, Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716
(562) 420-2641
www.hgcity.org
6th Cycle 6.5th Draft, September 2024
Exhibit 1
DRAFT
City of Hawaiian Gardens
6th Cycle Housing Element Update
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City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
City Council
Maria Teresa Del Rio, Mayor
Victor Farfan, Mayor Pro Temp
Dandy De Paula, Councilmember
Luis Roa, Councilmember
Ernie Vargas, Councilmember
Planning Commission
Grant Winford, Chair
Axzel Roman, Vice Chair
Fabiola Hernandez, Commissioner
Anna Rodriguez, Commissioner
Ana Navarro, Commissioner
City Manager
Ernesto Marquez
Community Development Department
Community Development Director
Elise McCaleb
Senior Planner
Sophia Tatlyan
Prepared by
Mobius Planning

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City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
Table of Contents
The 6th Cycle Housing Element ..................................................................................................................................1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2. HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS.................................................................................................2 Chapter 3. REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SPECIAL NEEDS ...............................2 Chapter 4. RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS .......................................................................................3 Chapter 5. LAND INVENTORY..................................................................................................................3 Chapter 6. EVALUATION OF THE PREVIOUS HOUSING ELEMENT.....................................................3 Chapter 7. HOUSING GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND QUANTIFIED OBJECTIVES ................3 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................5

1.1 WHAT IS A HOUSING ELEMENT? .................................................................................................5

1.2 FREQUENCY OF REVIEW AND UPDATE .....................................................................................7

1.3 HOUSING ELEMENT CONTENTS..................................................................................................7

1.4 RELATIONSHIP TO GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS........................................................................7

1.5 INFORMATION SOURCES..............................................................................................................9

1.6 PUBLIC OUTREACH .................................................................................................................... 10

1.7 SERVICE PROVIDER OUTREACH.............................................................................................. 12

1.8 REVIEWS BY STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................................... 14

2. HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS........................................................................................................................ 15

2.1 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS........................................................................................ 15

2.2 EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS .......................................................................................... 25

2.3 HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS............................................................................................. 30

2.4 HOUSING STOCK ........................................................................................................................ 31

2.5 HOUSING COSTS AND AFFORDABILITY .................................................................................. 39

2.6 HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT............................................................................................... 45

2.7 OVERCROWDING AND OVERPAYMENT................................................................................... 51

2.8 “AT-RISK” HOUSING .................................................................................................................... 53

2.9 OPPORTUNITY FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION...................................................................... 57

2.10 AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING....................................................................... 61 Page iv
City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
3 REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SPECIAL NEEDS ..................................................... 85

3.1 REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION (RHNA), 2021 - 2029.......................................... 85

3.2 SPECIAL HOUSING NEEDS ........................................................................................................ 88 4 RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS ............................................................................................................ 105

4.1 FINANCING AND SUBSIDY SOURCES .................................................................................... 105

4.2 RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS ON HOUSING PRODUCTION......................................... 106

4.3 NON-GOVERNMENTAL RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS.................................................. 175 5 LAND INVENTORY....................................................................................................................................... 181

5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 181

5.2 IDENTIFIED SITES ..................................................................................................................... 183

5.3 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUs) ................................................................................. 222

5.4 COMPARISON OF SITE INVENTORY WITH RHNA ................................................................. 223

5.5 Adequacy of Public Facilities and Services................................................................................. 224

5.6 Environmental Considerations..................................................................................................... 226 6 EVALUATION OF THE PREVIOUS HOUSING ELEMENT.......................................................................... 227 7 HOUSING GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND QUANTIFIED OBJECTIVES ..................................... 236

7.1 HOUSING GOALS, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS.................................................................... 236

7.2 PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS...................................................................................................... 242

7.3 PROPOSED QUANTIFIED OBJECTIVES FOR 2021-2029....................................................... 264 Figures
Figure 2.1 Population Trends ......................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 2.2 Neighborhood Demographics........................................................................................................ 17 Figure 2.3 Education Opportunity ................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 2.4 Households by Age and Sex ......................................................................................................... 20 Figure 2.5 Female Headed Households......................................................................................................... 21 Figure 2.6 Concentrated Poverty.................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2.7 Shelter Choices of Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Hawaiian Gardens (2022) ............. 24 Figure 2.8 Employment by Industry ................................................................................................................ 26 Figure 2.9 Employment by Occupation.......................................................................................................... 26 Figure 2.10 Households by Household Size..................................................................................................... 30 Figure 2.11 Housing Types............................................................................................................................... 32 Page v
City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
Figure 2.12 Vacant Units by Type .................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 2.13 Housing Vacancy Trends .............................................................................................................. 33 Figure 2.14 Housing Units by Year Structure Built ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 2.15 Housing Tenure ............................................................................................................................. 39 Figure 2.16 Median Home Prices ..................................................................................................................... 40 Figure 2.17 Rental Housing Cost by Income.................................................................................................... 41 Figure 2.18 Percent of Income Spent on Rent ................................................................................................. 41 Figure 2.19 Spending on Rent by Income Category ........................................................................................ 42 Figure 2.20 Household Income by Cash Rent.................................................................................................. 42 Figure 2.21 Monthly Owner Costs for Mortgage Holders ................................................................................. 43 Figure 2.22 Cost for Mortgage Holders by Income........................................................................................... 44 Figure 2.23 Household Income by Home Value............................................................................................... 45 Figure 2.24 Housing Units Permitted (SCAG Region and City) ....................................................................... 51 Figure 2.25 Crowding by Extent and Tenure.................................................................................................... 52 Figure 2.26 Major Transit Stops ....................................................................................................................... 68 Figure 2.27 Jobs Proximity ............................................................................................................................... 70 Figure 2.28 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Score ........................................................................................................... 72 Figure 2.29 Sites Inventory and AFFH ............................................................................................................. 81 Figure 3.1 Residents with Disabilities ............................................................................................................. 89 Figure 3.2 Female-Headed Households....................................................................................................... 101 Figure 3.3 Households by Household Size................................................................................................... 102 Figure 4.1 Code Enforcement Process......................................................................................................... 107 Figure 4.2 Hawaiian Gardens Land Use Map .............................................................................................. 110 Figure 4.3 Zoning Map.................................................................................................................................. 113 Figure 4.4 Buildable Area on R-2 Site1 ......................................................................................................... 119 Figure 4.5 Buildable Area on R-3 Site1 ......................................................................................................... 123 Figure 4.6 Buildable Area on R-4 Site1 ......................................................................................................... 123 Figure 4.7 Proximity to Transit...................................................................................................................... 136 Figure 4.8 Administrative Approval Process................................................................................................. 142 Figure 4.9 Conditional Use Permit Process.................................................................................................. 145 Figure 4.10 Seismic Hazards.......................................................................................................................... 167 Figure 4.11 Liquefaction Zone ........................................................................................................................ 168 Figure 4.12 Dam Inundation Areas................................................................................................................. 169 Figure 4.13 Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map................................................................................................... 171 Figure 5.1 Identified Sites ............................................................................................................................. 187 Figure 5.2 Buildable Area on MU-1 Site1 ...................................................................................................... 193 Page vi
City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
Figure 5.3 Site 1............................................................................................................................................ 195 Figure 5.4 Site 3............................................................................................................................................ 199 Figure 5.5 Site 5............................................................................................................................................ 203 Figure 5.6 Buildable Area on MU-2 Site1 ...................................................................................................... 208 Figure 5.7 Site 2............................................................................................................................................ 211 Figure 5.8 Site 4............................................................................................................................................ 214 Figure 5.9 Buildable Area on RIH Site1 ........................................................................................................ 218 Figure 5.10 Site 6............................................................................................................................................ 221 Tables
Table 2.1 Elderly Households by Income and Tenure .................................................................................. 23 Table 2.2 Age Characteristics of Hawaiian Gardens’ Population.................................................................. 25 26 Table 2.3 State Designated Farmland and Agricultural Zoning .................................................................... 29 Table 2.4 Farmworkers by Occupation.......................................................................................................... 29 Table 2.5 Units Constructed Between 2015 and 2021.................................................................................. 35 Table 2.6 Code Enforcement Cases 2013-2021 ........................................................................................... 38 Table 2.7 Final 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation ...................................................................... 45 Table 2.8 Apartment Communities in Hawaiian Gardens ............................................................................. 47 Table 2.9 Extremely Low-Income Housing Needs ........................................................................................ 48 Table 2.10 Cost Burden by Income ................................................................................................................. 52 Table 2.11 Assisted Units at Risk of Conversion ............................................................................................ 54 Table 2.12 Qualified Entities............................................................................................................................ 56 Table 2.13 Contributing Factors and Meaningful Actions................................................................................ 82 Table 3.1 RHNA 6th Cycle – October 2021-October 2029 ............................................................................ 87 Table 3.2 Pending and Approved Projects.................................................................................................... 87 Table 3.3 Persons with a Disability in the Workforce .................................................................................... 91 Table 3.4 Constraints and Response Summary............................................................................................ 96 Table 4.1 General Plan Residential Densities............................................................................................. 109 Table 4.2 R-1-10,000 Single-Family Estate Development Standards......................................................... 115 Table 4.3 R-1 Single-Family Residential Development Standards ............................................................ 116 Table 4.4 R-2: Medium Density Residential Development Standards ........................................................ 118 Table 4.5 R-2 Revised Development Standards ......................................................................................... 121 Table 4.6 R-3: Intermediate Density Residential Development .................................................................. 122 Table 4.7 R-4: High Density Residential Development Standards.............................................................. 125 Page vii
City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element
Table 4.8 R-4 Revised Development Standards ......................................................................................... 128 Table 4.9 Mobile Home Park Development Standards ............................................................................... 129 Table 4.10 Individual Mobile Home Lot/Space Standards ............................................................................ 129 Table 4.11 C-2: Downtown Commercial Zone .............................................................................................. 131 Table 4.12 C-4: General Commercial Zone................................................................................................... 132 Table 4.13 Off-Street Residential Parking Requirements ............................................................................. 133 Table 4.14 Handicap-Accessible Parking Spaces......................................................................................... 134 Table 4.15 Residential Uses Permitted in Residential Zones ....................................................................... 138 Table 4.16 Residential Uses Permitted in Non-Residential Zones ............................................................... 140 Table 4.17 Timelines for Permit Procedures ................................................................................................. 147 Table 4.18 Permit Fees ................................................................................................................................. 160 Table 4. 19 Residential Development Fees.................................................................................................... 164 Table 4.20 Land Sales Prices – October 2021.............................................................................................. 176 Table 4.21 Construction Costs per Square Foot for Residential Construction.............................................. 177 Table 4.22 Typical Mortgage Interest Rates ................................................................................................ 179 Table 5.1 Zone Districts and Land Area...................................................................................................... 183 Table 5.2 Identified Sites ............................................................................................................................. 185 Table 5.3 MU-1 Development Standards .................................................................................................... 191 Table 5.4 MU-1 Zone Minimum Floor Area per Unit ................................................................................... 192 Table 5.5 Rents in Hawaiian Gardens......................................................................................................... 201 Table 5.6 MU-2 Development Standards .................................................................................................... 206 Table 5.7 MU-2 Zone Minimum Floor Area per Unit ................................................................................... 207 Table 5.8 Accessory Dwelling Unit Projection............................................................................................. 222 Table 5.9 Comparison of Site Capacity and RHNA..................................................................................... 223 Table 6.1 Evaluation of 2013-2021 Housing Element Programs ................................................................ 229 Table 7.1 6th Cycle Housing Element Programs ........................................................................................ 239 Table 7.2 Proposed Residential Densities................................................................................................... 258 Table 7.3 Quantified Objectives for 2021-2029........................................................................................... 265 City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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The 6th Cycle Housing Element

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Hawaiian Gardens is located in the greater Los Angeles area and encompasses

0.9 square miles. The City is bounded on the west and south by the City of Long Beach, on the east by the City of Cypress, and on the north by the City of Lakewood. Residential land uses account for nearly 60% of the total land area in the City, and the second largest land use, commercial, makes up 25% of the land area.

Every California jurisdiction is required to include a Housing Element as part of the jurisdiction’s General Plan. Hawaiian Gardens 6th Cycle Housing Element has a planning period of eight years from 2021 to 2029. This Housing Element is organized into seven sections:

1. Introduction

2. Housing Needs Analysis

3. Regional Housing Needs Assessment and Special Needs

4. Resources and Constraints

5. Land Inventory

6. Evaluation of the Previous Housing Element

7. Housing Goals, Policies, Programs, and Quantified Objectives Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION
The 6th Cycle Housing Element for the City of Hawaiian Gardens is a required element of the City’s General Plan and is, therefore, required to be consistent with the General Plan. The 6th Cycle Housing Element covers the planning period from October 15, 2021, to October 15, 2029, and includes extensive background information on community demographics, including population, employment and households, current housing, as well as updated policies, programs, and ‘quantified objectives’ to guide the City’s development through 2029. State Law requires that the Housing Element include the following components:
• An analysis of the City’s population, household, and employment base, and the characteristics of the housing stock.
• A summary of the present and projected housing needs of the City’s households. • A review of potential constraints to meeting the City’s identified housing needs. • An evaluation of opportunities that will further the development of new housing. • A Community Outreach Plan
• A Statement of the Housing Plan to address identified housing needs.

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City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• An analysis on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.

This is the first Housing Element Cycle to implement the requirements of Assembly Bill 686 (AB 686), Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). As of January 1, 2019, AB 686 extends the obligation to affirmatively further fair housing to all public agencies in the State of California. Affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions to combat discrimination that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.

This Housing Element must address the following issues:

1. Significant discrepancies in housing needs and in access to opportunities.

2. Replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns.

3. Transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAP) into areas of opportunity.

4. Fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws.

Public Review and Comment
The Housing Element was made available for review and comment at City facilities, including City Hall, the Senior Center, City recreation facilities, during the workshop and public hearings, and on the City’s website:
• August 29, 2021 – Community Survey
• September 21, 2021 – Planning Commission public workshop • October 19, 2021 – Planning Commission public hearing • December 14, 2021 – Planning Commission/City Council joint workshop The venues for the public meetings were ADA-accessible and served by public transportation.

The City also advertised meetings, public hearings, and availability of the Housing Element in the local newspaper the “Los Cerritos Community Newspaper,” through social media, as a flyer, and on the board at the mobile home parks.

Chapter 2. HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS
This chapter gives an overview of the City’s population and employment growth, household characteristics, and housing characteristics. It also provides an analysis of the housing affordability and a discussion of housing receiving federal, State, or local aid that is at-risk of conversion due to the impending expiration of assistance. This chapter also includes the Fair Housing Assessment.

Chapter 3. REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SPECIAL NEEDS The first part of this chapter outlines the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process which is maintained by the regional agency with jurisdiction over the City. In this case, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has jurisdiction over the City of

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City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Hawaiian Gardens. Through this process, each jurisdiction is given a set of numbers presenting housing units for each income level that the jurisdiction must help construct, rehabilitate, or conserve during the housing period from 2021 to 2029. The chapter then describes Hawaiian Gardens’ share of the regional housing needs, and what has already been achieved in meeting those needs.

Chapter 4. RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS
This chapter identifies the resources that are available to the City to meet its quantified objectives for housing, especially new construction for affordable housing; as well as government and market constraints that might hinder housing development and includes a detailed analysis of the current permitting and regulatory process. In those cases where potential governmental constraints are identified, the City has identified programs to remove and/or mitigate those constraints. Also included is an analysis for low- and moderate-income housing assistance from State and federal sources.

Chapter 5. LAND INVENTORY
This chapter assesses the housing development potential in Hawaiian Gardens. The purpose is to determine the quantity of land available on suitable sites to accommodate the City’s RHNA. The analysis indicates the City is divided into six residential zoning districts; two commercial zoning districts; one industrial zoning district; and a public facilities district which consists of civic, fire station, park, hospital, elementary school, junior high school, and church.

Chapter 6. EVALUATION OF THE PREVIOUS HOUSING ELEMENT
This chapter reviews the City’s accomplishments under the 2013-2021 Housing Element, particularly the City’s progress towards meeting its Regional Housing Needs Assessment goals. Although a comprehensive General Plan update was adopted in 2010, it did not include any update to the housing element.

Chapter 7. HOUSING GOALS, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND

QUANTIFIED OBJECTIVES
This chapter of the Housing Element lists housing goals, policies, implementing programs, and quantified objectives for the City of Hawaiian Gardens, responding to the assessment of the 2013-2021 Housing Element, as well as key issues, trends, opportunities, and constraints outlined in the Housing Needs Analysis and the assessment of Resources and Constraints.

The City of Hawaiian Gardens adopted the City’s General Plan in 2010, stating that the City’s Housing Element goals were established for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing in the City. Below are the goals for the 5th Cycle Housing Element that the City adopted in 2015. The City will continue the application of these goals for the 6th Cycle Housing

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City of Hawaiian Gardens 2021-2029 Housing Element

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Element as a guide for implementation of the City’s continued, modified, and new housing programs.

Goal 1.Accommodate housing needs of all income groups as quantified by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

Goal 2.Provide housing affordable to extremely low-, very low, low- and moderate-income households.

Goal 3.Remove existing governmental constraints to the maintenance, preservation, improvement, and development of housing.

Goal 4. Achieve a housing stock free of substandard dwelling units.

Goal 5.Conserve and improve the existing stock of affordable housing.

Goal 6.Attain a housing market with “fair housing choice,” meaning the ability of persons of similar income levels regardless of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, familial status, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, source of income or other arbitrary factor to have available to them the same housing choices.

Goal 7.Preserve the existing supply of affordable housing that is financially assisted by the City, County, and State or Federal governments.

Goal 8. Achieve reductions in energy consumption.

Each goal encompasses a series of policies. Implementing programs further the City’s housing goals and policies.

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 WHAT IS A HOUSING ELEMENT?
The Housing Element is one of the seven required elements of the General Plan. State Housing Element law, enacted in 1969, mandates that local governments adequately plan to meet the existing and projected housing needs of all segments of the population. It requires that the Housing Element be consistent with all parts of the General Plan and be closely related to the Land Use Element, which specifies land within the jurisdiction that can be utilized for housing development. The law acknowledges that for the private market to adequately address housing needs and demands, local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that support housing developments. As a result, the successful growth of a community rests largely upon the implementation of local general plans, and in particular, the Housing Element.

The 6th Cycle Housing Element has a planning period of 8 years. It is programmatic in focus and is required to meet specific requirements set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The Housing Element of the Hawaiian Gardens General Plan addresses the housing needs of the City. The primary focus of the Housing Element is to encourage the provision of suitable housing for City residents and to protect the vitality of existing residential neighborhoods. The goals and policies of the Hawaiian Gardens Housing Element address the following issues:
(a) the promotion of new housing development
(b) the maintenance and improvement of existing housing units (c) identifying and addressing housing discrimination
Through its housing program, the City will improve the quality of existing housing and encourage the production of new housing types to meet residents' needs.

Geographical Setting and Demographics
The City of Hawaiian Gardens is in Los Angeles County, generally in the southeast area of the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The City of Long Beach lies directly to the west and south, the City of Lakewood lies to the north, and the Orange County City of Cypress borders Hawaiian Gardens on the east. Hawaiian Gardens is regionally accessible from Interstate 605 (San Gabriel River Freeway), which is located to the immediate west of the City. The Carson Street off-ramp is located at the western entrance to the City. The City is regionally accessible from Interstate 405 (Long Beach Freeway) located to the south, and Highway 91 to the north.

Hawaiian Gardens is among the “Gateway Cities” of southeast Los Angeles County.

Considered an industrial powerhouse, this southeast sub- region of the County provides one out of every seven jobs in Southern California.

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The City of Hawaiian Gardens is the smallest jurisdiction in the County of Los Angeles, encompassing a total of 0.9 square miles. It is the 338th largest city in California, and the 243rd largest city in the United States.

Hawaiian Gardens is primarily a residential community, with most of the City zoned for medium density residential (R-2) housing. The medium-density residentially-zoned properties are found along the southwest and southeast quadrants of the City. The northwestern quadrant of the City is dominated by a mix of General Commercial, Light Industrial, Civic, Intermediate Residential, and High-Density Residential-zoned uses. The northeast quadrant is characterized by pockets of Single-family residential estate-zoned parcels (10,000 sq. ft. minimum parcel size), Single-Family Residential, and General Commercial zoning and land uses.

The City’s current population is reported at 14,149 residents. With a land area of just less than 1 square mile, Hawaiian Gardens has a population density of 14,717 people per square mile.

The 2020 Census indicates that the City’s population is currently declining at a rate of -0.73% annually and has decreased by -2.11% since the 2010 census count, which listed the population at 14,254. Hawaiian Gardens reached its highest population of 14,779 in 2000.

The average household income in Hawaiian Gardens is $57,733 with a poverty rate of 23.90%.

The median rental cost is about $1,403 per month, and the median house value $575,000.

This Housing Element is designed to address key housing issues in the City and seeks to provide solutions to improve future housing conditions. These issues include:
(a) The need to maintain and rehabilitate the existing housing stock. (b) Development of new housing to relieve overcrowding and housing cost. (c) Through the zoning process, convert underutilized commercial properties to residential to provide more ownership units.
(d) The maintenance of affordable housing for low-income households, special needs households and overpaying households.
(e) Accommodating current Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) units through identifying opportunity sites along commercial corridors and addressing zoning for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The City is continuously seeking to meet the housing needs of its residents and to accommodate its share of regional housing. This will accomplish both state and local housing goals. The Housing Element fulfills the requirements of the State Planning and Zoning Law and the regulations of Section 65580-65589.5 of the California Government Code. State law is very specific on the content of the Housing Element and makes it clear that providing affordable housing is the responsibility of all local governments. It expects the City to have its fair share in the development of regional housing needs and to contribute to the attainment of State housing goals.

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1.2 FREQUENCY OF REVIEW AND UPDATE
The process of updating Housing Elements is triggered by HCD through the “regional housing needs” process. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process is a State mandate on planning for housing, whereby each jurisdiction in the State is assigned a “fair share” of local housing needs according to income distribution.

This Housing Element will serve the planning period beginning October 15, 2021, to October 15, 2029. This is an eight-year period to coincide with the RHNA process.

1.3 HOUSING ELEMENT CONTENTS
The Housing Element is required by State law to include:
• An assessment of existing housing needs-with an analysis of housing affordability, conditions, special needs, and affordable units at-risk of converting to market-rate— as well as projected needs as laid out in the RHNA.
• A detailed sites inventory and analysis that evaluates the jurisdiction’s ability to accommodate its RHNA.
• An analysis of constraints on housing in the jurisdiction. • Housing programs that identify adequate sites to accommodate the City’s share of the regional housing need; assisting in the development of housing for very low- and low- income households; removing or mitigating governmental constraints to affordable housing; conserving and improving the existing affordable housing stock; promoting equal housing opportunity; and preserving the at-risk units identified. • Quantified objectives that estimate the maximum number of units, by income level, to be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over the planning period of the element.
• An analysis of Affirmatively Further Fair Housing in compliance with AB 686, which specifically addresses significant discrepancies in housing needs and in access to opportunities, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAP) into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws.

1.4 RELATIONSHIP TO GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS
The current Hawaiian Gardens General Plan was adopted in January 2010 and established a long-range plan. The plan includes the following elements required by State law:

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Land Use
The Land Use Element identifies the proposed distribution and intensity of the uses of land and the different types of uses, including housing, commercial retail, industrial, open space, recreation, institutional/public facilities, and others.

Circulation
The Circulation Element identifies the location of existing and proposed major roads, transportation routes, and other local public utilities.

Housing
The Housing Element identifies and analyzes existing and projected housing needs and includes a statement of goals and policies, and scheduled programs for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing.

Open Space/Recreation
The Open Space/Recreation Element guides the comprehensive and long-range preservation and conservation of open space land. In its discussion the Element includes recreation facilities, which similarly contribute activity space. Open Space may include land for outdoor recreation, public health, and safety.

Conservation
The Conservation Element addresses the identification, conservation, and use of natural resources. This element may consider issues of flood control, and water and air pollution.

Noise
The Noise Element identifies and evaluates noise levels in the City, particularly from roadways, industrial plants, and other major noise sources, and helps to protect uses in the community that are sensitive to noise impacts.

Safety
The Safety Element establishes policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood and fire.

Economic Development
The economic character of the community plays a vital role in the success and prosperity of a local area. The Economic Development Element includes goals and policies to guide physical development while retaining a sound economic base and identifying potential for new market opportunities. In addition, a fiscal analysis component will provide for a stable annual City Budget.

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Air Quality
Consideration of air pollution and its damaging effects is a necessary component of public safety and welfare. The Air Quality Element examines relevant conditions, land use and development patterns to establish policies and programs related to air quality.

Capital Improvements
Capital improvements encompass the physical infrastructure that supports development of a city. The Capital Improvements Element identifies necessary improvements and provides policy direction for short-term programs.

Community Design
The Community Design Element relates to the aesthetic environment of the community and provides a sense of place. This includes the public realm, private realm, and residential areas.

Consistency with General Plan and Policies
The Housing Element of the General Plan is one component of the City's overall long-range planning strategy. The California Government Code requires that the General Plan contain an integrated, consistent set of goals and policies. The Housing Element is, therefore, affected by policies contained in other elements of the General Plan.

The City updated its 2011 zoning map in 2019 to provide zoning districts consistent with the 2010 General Plan. To be consistent with the General Plan, this Housing Element will assess the Land Use Element’s goals and objectives and identify new and existing sites to meet the existing and current RHNA, which facilitates the City’s ability to meet its designated regional housing needs.

1.5 INFORMATION SOURCES
The information presented in this Housing Element has been gathered from a variety of sources. The primary source of information used in compiling demographic, housing, and socio-economic information for Hawaiian Gardens includes data collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Several other sources were also consulted during the preparation of this analysis, with the key sources being the Federal Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the State Department of Finance (DOF), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the American Community Survey (ACS), the City of Hawaiian Gardens, and analysis conducted by the Housing Element consultants. SCAG is mandated under State law to prepare population, housing, and employment projections that are to be used in the development of the region’s Growth Management Plan. These projections were used in the determination of the City’s RHNA.

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Various other sources (both private and public) were also used. Wherever possible, data from the City and County were used to facilitate an understanding of local needs and conditions.

1.6 PUBLIC OUTREACH
This 6th Cycle Housing Element was prepared during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, and pandemic-related restrictions substantially affected Hawaiian Gardens’ outreach to City residents and businesses. From the beginning of 2020 through 2021, most offices, schools, places of worship, places of social gathering, retail stores, restaurants, government offices and religious and educational institutions were closed or operated with restricted hours, remotely and/or with limited staff. Los Angeles County, in general, and specifically cities within the gateway communities, experienced more disruption in services than any other county or counties in the State because of precautionary measures against an excessive number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Hawaiian Gardens’ City Hall restricted public access and limited hours; most staff worked remotely. These limitations made gathering information from City staff and members of the community as required by the California Housing Element Law difficult and challenging. Still, Hawaiian Gardens sought as much public input as possible, given the limitations, to measure the effectiveness of the City’s housing policies and the position of the community regarding the City’s current housing market and the overall effectiveness of the 5th Cycle Housing Element.

The City further sought public input regarding the 6th Cycle Housing Element policies, goals, and objectives. These efforts are described below.

Community Outreach
The Housing Element was prepared with public outreach and participation to the extent permissible under the restrictions of COVID-19. The City maintains a distribution list of stakeholder organizations, interested private citizens, public agencies, posts public information on the City’s website and at the physical location of the meetings, and issues press releases in the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper. The venues for the public meetings were ADAaccessible and served by public transportation.

To ensure the broadest community involvement, particularly among low-income and special needs groups, the City used several strategies, including:
• An in-person televised Planning Commission Housing Element workshop to inform members of the Commission and the public of the Housing Element process, including the requirements of AB 686. (September 9, 2021)
• A Community Outreach survey prepared in English, Spanish, and Korean and made available between August 29, 2021, and September 15, 2021, was distributed and broadcast over several media outlets, including a dedicated City website specifically for the Housing Element Update, to reach all members of the community. Survey questions were formulated to get an understanding of who was participating in the survey, identification of the housing issues facing the City, and options to address the housing issues. Interested parties could complete the Survey online at the City’s website.

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• A focused stakeholder interview consisting of 6 members of the Hawaiian Gardens community was conducted via the online Zoom™ platform. The participants included one planning commissioner and city resident, three city employees, and two land developers. (October 19, 2021)
• A joint Planning Commission/City Council public workshop was conducted via Zoom™.

Minutes and a Zoom™ audio/video recording is available on the City’s website and from the City Clerk’s office upon request. (December 14, 2021) • The City posted flyers about the Housing Element update throughout the City, including the notice boards at the two mobile home parks in the City. • Information on the Housing Element update was also made available on the City’s website and at all City facilities, including City Hall, the Senior Center, and recreation facilities.
• A Housing Needs Assessment Survey was distributed at the communitywide Hawaiian Gardens Carnival on April 21, 2023 through April 23, 2023 at the Furgeson Elementary School field. Survey questions were formulated to get an understanding of who was participating in the survey, identify the housing needs, and provide recommendations for how the City can improve housing.

Community Input
Community input was received through a variety of means including public hearings, a stake holder meeting, and community surveys.

The comments received at the Planning Commission workshop and the joint Planning Commission/City Council workshop centered around the lack of housing available to all residents, especially low income; and the high cost of housing.

Only 13 residents (12 in English, one in Spanish) participated in the Community Survey (2021).

This participation level corresponds to the City’s experience with other outreach efforts.

Nonetheless, the input received is a window into residents’ expectations for the City. Survey responses focused on:
• Providing more affordable housing
• Addressing Section 8 housing
• Addressing the homelessness issue
• Gentrification - most respondents were not favorable towards gentrification, but some saw the economic benefits that can be derived from it
• Utilizing existing parcels in the City that are currently under-utilized or vacant for more housing opportunities
• Residential building height limits - concerns over the City’s residential height restrictions which prevent the development of more high rises with higher densities • Concerns with parking availability in the City
• The use of density bonus to encourage development of more affordable housing

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• Homeownership - the City should investigate making more of its residents’ homeowners rather than renters
• High rents - the current rents in the City are too high • The City’s beautification program eliminated security bars of residential properties and improved the general outlook of the City
See Appendix A, Community Survey, for the complete survey including questions and responses and how survey responses were incorporated into this Housing Element.

The Housing Needs Assessment Survey (2023) distributed at the Hawaiian Gardens Carnival attracted a substantial number of community participants (91). This participation level is much larger than the City’s experience with other outreach efforts and suggests that future public outreach efforts should be held at communitywide events instead of being provided online or distributed at a government-facilitated meeting (e.g., Planning Commission). Survey responses focused on:
• Importance of affordable housing for all income levels and needs • Amenities that should be provided for multi-family housing • Importance of proximity to retail, churches, schools, and transportation • Importance of existing housing goals in the current housing element • What residents like about living in the City (family and friends, small town feel) • The need for more housing in the City
• The need to provide the homeless with more shelters and services • The need to create a more walkable, safe, and clean community • The need for more community amenities (parks) and community events • The need for more parking
See Appendix B, Housing Needs Assessment Survey Results, for the complete survey including questions and responses and how survey responses were incorporated into this Housing Element.

1.7 SERVICE PROVIDER OUTREACH
People Assisting the Homeless Los Angeles (PATH LA)
The Housing Element was also prepared with outreach to People Assisting the Homeless Los Angeles (PATH LA), which is one of the homeless service providers for Los Angeles County’s Service Planning Area 7, which includes Hawaiian Gardens. PATH LA implements a scattered site model to reduce homelessness in the County by providing people in shelters with rental subsidies to transition people from shelters to rental housing. PATH LA also connects people experiencing homelessness with supportive services and programs (e.g., mental health, medical, addiction, employment) to help them remain in rental housing. Given PATH LA’s

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1. INTRODUCTION
extensive experience with providing housing and services for the County’s homeless population, PATH LA helped the City identify the needs of the homeless population, the challenges to effectively reduce homelessness, and guidance for how the City can better address homelessness, as summarized below.

Needs:
• Providing more short term (e.g., shelters) and long-term (e.g., rental housing) housing solutions, especially long-term housing solutions.
• Providing more supportive services and programs.

Challenges:
• Resistance from community residents who do not want shelters near their homes. • Not enough funding allocated for short-term and long-term housing and/or supportive services and programs.
• Scattered site model often relocates people to unfamiliar communities, which can cause them to return to streets of their desired community.

Recommended Solutions:
• Construct new shelters and rental housing.
• Provide more incentives to property owners to waive rental requirements (e.g., credit, income) for tenants with rental subsidies.
• Partner with neighboring cities (e.g., Lakewood) to construct shelters and rental housing.
• Implement creative design solutions (e.g., tiny homes, fly away homes, Lifeark homes) to provide more short-term and long-term housing.
• Educate residents on how to effectively reduce homelessness in the community.

Housing Rights Center (HRC)
The Housing Element was also prepared with outreach to the Housing Rights Center (HRC).

The HRC provides fair housing services to renters within the County. Additionally, the HRC conducts workshops with tenants and landlords to educate the public on fair housing laws, reasonable accommodations, and HRC resources. The HRC provided guidance for how the City can better address fair housing issues in the City using the HRC’s local knowledge of issues and recommended solutions, as summarized below.

Issues:
• Rent increases.
• Evictions, especially evictions due to major renovations • Relocation

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• Tenants do not know how to address code enforcement issues • Substandard housing conditions
• Fair housing discrimination and violations, especially towards large families and families with kids.

Recommended Solutions:
• Eviction diversion, which requires landlords to notify the City when an eviction notice is issued and allows the City to inform landlords of ways to avoid an eviction. • Place a moratorium on major renovation related evictions. Reach out to other cities in the County who have done this (e.g., Alhambra).
• Rent control or rent cap policies that are more restrictive than statewide cap of 10%.

1.8 REVIEWS BY STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING

AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
State law requires the submittal of every updated Housing Element to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to ensure compliance with the State’s minimum Housing Element requirements.

Housing Elements are required to be submitted to HCD for review and comment: during development of the Housing Element (in draft form), and again after adoption of the Housing Element by the local jurisdiction. The first period requires a 60-day review and must take place prior to the adoption deadline of October 15, 2021. However, with the complications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability of some jurisdictions to remain open and functional, this Housing Element draft is being submitted later than the October 15, 2021, deadline, and HCD has been made aware of this development. The second review requires a 90-day review by HCD and takes place after the adoption of the Housing Element by the local jurisdiction. It is after the second review that written findings regarding compliance are submitted by HCD to the local government.

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2. HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS

2.1 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS
The type and quantity of housing needed in a community is largely determined by population growth and various demographic variables. Factors such as population size, age, race, and occupation can be used to analyze the effectiveness of existing housing policies and provide a general direction and focus for future housing initiatives. Population characteristics include population growth trends in the city, age characteristics, and ethnicity.

Population Trends
According to the 2020 United States Census, Hawaiian Gardens has a 2020 total population of 14,149 persons, which is a slight decrease from the 2010 census figure of 14,254 persons. As stated earlier, the City of Hawaiian Gardens spans 0.97 square miles with a population density of 14,717 people per square mile. The average household income in Hawaiian Gardens is $57,733 with a poverty rate 23.90%. The median rental cost is $1,403 per month, and median house value is $575,000.

Figure 2.1 below describes the population trend in Hawaiian Gardens from 2000 to 2020 compared to SCAG. Over this period Hawaiian Gardens had an annual population growth rate of 0% compared to 0.7% for the region.

Hawaiian Gardens experienced its greatest population growth in 2005; however, between 2005 and 2010 there was a slight reduction in population that may be attributed to outmigration, cost of living, and a declining economy.

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Ethnicity
Hawaiian Gardens is a majority Hispanic/Latino community with Hispanics/Latinos comprising

80.1% of the City’s residents, with the predominate population located south of Carson Street and a sizeable population located north of Carson Street (see Figure 2.2 below). Sizeable Hispanic/Latino populations also occur to the north, east, and west of the City. This percentage includes those who identified as White Hispanic. The City’s White Non-Hispanic population is

4.3%, the Asian population is 9.9%, the Black/African American population is 4.0%, and the Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander population is 0.09%. Of 14,149 residents, 42.8% are foreign born, and 91.7% speak a language other than English at home.

Source: State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties, and the State — January 1, 2021-2022. Sacramento, California, May 2022

Figure 2.1 Population Trends

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Figure 2.2 Neighborhood Demographics

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Education
According to the 2020 US Census numbers, 57.26 percent of persons residing in Hawaiian Gardens attained a high school education or higher, of which 22.7 percent graduated from high school, 7.31 percent attained a bachelor’s degree and 3.14 percent attained a graduate degree. Conversely, 42.74 percent of Hawaiian Garden’s residents have less than a high school education. As shown in Figure 2.3 below, the entire City is designated as having an education outcome rating of 0.25 to 0.50, with 0 being the lowest and 1 being the highest rating. As also shown in Figure 2.3, the positive education outcome rating is 0.75 to 1.0 immediately south and east of the City’s boundaries in Long Beach and Cypress, respectively, while similar educational outcomes are seen immediately to the north and west of the City.

To help increase the levels of educational attainment, the City is looking to increase its support in policies that favor education; especially starting with education at early stages in life for those individuals in ages 0-5. Quality early care and education provides a foundation for success in grades K-12 for Hawaiian Gardens’ youngest residents. Early care and education translate to success in life because children who attend these programs are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.

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Figure 2.3 Education Opportunity

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Household Size and Housing Stock
According to data from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), there are 3,712 households in the City of Hawaiian Gardens. The average household size is 4.21 persons per household and the average family size is 4.52 persons per family. The average household and family sizes in the City has increased over the years largely due to several trends including increasing births per family, shared living space to reduce cost, increasing cost of living, and overcrowding due to lack of available, affordable housing.

Figure 2.4, Households by Age and Sex, shows that the population of Hawaiian Gardens is almost equally divided between males and females with 49.9% males and 50.1% females.

The share of the population which is under 18 years of age is 27.7%, which is higher than the regional share of 23.4%. This indicates that the City is younger than the region. Seniors (age 65 and older) make up 10.5% of the population, which is lower than the regional average share of 13%.

American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates
Figure 2.4 Households by Age and Sex

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Specialized Housing Needs
California housing law requires analysis of specialized housing needs, such as femaleheaded households, low-income, senior housing, and shelter for the unhoused, to ensure allocation of services.

Female-headed households. Of Hawaiian Gardens' 3,712 total households, 17% are female-headed (compared to 14.3% in the SCAG region), 9.9% are female-headed and with children (compared to 6.6% in the SCAG region), and 2.7% are female-headed and with children under 6 (compared to 1.0% in the SCAG region). This indicates that the City exceeds the region average in each of these categories and must therefore intensify its efforts to provide more services geared towards specialized housing. Figure 2.5 shows the distribution of female-headed households in the City.

Low-Income Households. According to the American Community Survey, 18.1 percent of Hawaiian Gardens' households are experiencing poverty, compared to 7.9 percent of households in the SCAG region. Poverty thresholds, as defined by the ACS, vary by household type. In 2018, a single individual under 65 was considered in poverty with a money income below $13,064/year while the threshold for a family consisting of 2 adults and 2 children was $25,465/year. As shown in Figure 2.6 below, households that exceed the poverty threshold are predominately located south of Carson Street. Poverty also occurs (to a lesser extent) north of Carson Street and extends further north beyond the City limits.

However, the rate of poverty reduces sharply south and east of the City, indicating that the southern half of Hawaiian Gardens is a distinct pocket of poverty.

Source: American Community Survey
Figure 2.5 Female Headed Households

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Figure 2.6 Concentrated Poverty

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Senior Low-Income Households. Federal housing data define a household type as “elderly family” if it consists of two persons with one or both age 62 years old and over. Of Hawaiian Garden’s 396 such households, 61.9% earn less than 30% of the surrounding area income, (compared to 24.2% in the SCAG region), 82.1% earn less than 50% of the surrounding area income (compared to 30.9% in the SCAG region).

Table 2.1 identifies the percentage of elderly households and incomes based on HUD Area Median Family Income (HAMFI) thresholds. Between 2012 and 2016, a majority of the of elderly households earn less than 50% of HUD Area Median Family Income. Only 7.9 percent of elderly households earn above the HAMFI.

Income Category,
Relative to
Surrounding Area:

Owner Renter Total
Percent of Total
Elderly
Households
<30 % HAMFI 155 280 435 58.2
30-50% HAMFI 100 85 185 24.7
50-80 % HAMFI 40 10 50 6.7
80-100% HAMFI 19 0 19 2.5
>100% HAMFI 19 40 59 7.9
Total 333 415 748
HUD CHAS, 2012-2016. HAMFI refers to Housing Urban Development Area Median Family Income.

Unsheltered Households. Los Angeles County/Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts annual counts of unsheltered families and individuals to determine needs for temporary housing and supportive services. The February 2022 count found 29 persons experiencing homelessness in Hawaiian Gardens. Figure 2.7 shows the distribution among shelter types, which included recreational and passenger vehicles, tents, makeshift shelters, and no shelter.

However, given the City’s location between Los Angeles and Orange County and the transient nature of homelessness, it is impossible to capture an accurate estimate of the homeless population in the City. Regardless of the projected numbers of the homeless population in the City, the City understands that homelessness is a regional issue that must be addressed with regional solutions.

As part of its contribution to a regional effort, Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, requires that the City apply for Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds from the Los Angeles County Development Authority for acquisition of site suitable for Permanent Supportive Housing, and to make that site available to affordable housing developers.

Table 2.1 Elderly Households by Income and Tenure

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Age Characteristics
According to the 2020 Census, the median age of the City’s residents was 32.4 years compared to 33.7 years of age for the County. This shows a slightly younger population demographic than the County. The median age for male residents is 30.8 years, while the median age for female residents is 33.4 years.

The 2020 Census indicated that elderly residents accounted for 7.9% of the City's total population and 32.1% of the were less than 18 years of age. Working age adults between the ages of 18-64 accounted to 59.9% of the population. The age grouping of the City’s population according to the 2020 Census are indicated below in Table 2.2.

Los Angeles County homelessness point-in-time counts processed by SCAG. Source: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Greater Los Angeles 2022 Homeless Count Results: Hawaiian Gardens, available at https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6638-spa-7-independent-cities-hc22 (accessed December 7, 2022).

Figure 2.7 Shelter Choices of Persons Experiencing
Homelessness in Hawaiian Gardens (2022)

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Table 2.2 Age Characteristics of Hawaiian Gardens’ Population Age Group Number of People Percentage of Population
Under 18 years 4,576 32.1%
18 – 24 years 1,759 12.3%
25 – 44 years 4,109 28.8%
45 – 64 years 2,684 18.8%
65 years – or older 1,126 7.9%
Total Population 14,254 100.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020)

2.2 EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Employment types, income levels, and other factors determine the type of housing residents of the City can afford, while the unemployment rate is an indicator of the level of housing assistance needed. Employment and income levels are generally the function of regional growth or decline, which depends on factors beyond the City’s control. Employment characteristics describe those economic and market factors relevant to the maintenance of existing housing and the need to produce new housing in the City.

Employment and Unemployment
Hawaiian Gardens has 6,068 workers living within its borders who work across 13 major industry sectors. The chart below (Figure 2.8) provides detailed employment information. The most prevalent industry is Arts, Entertainment, Recreation with 1,010 employees (16.6% of total) and the second most prevalent industry is Education & Social Services with 999 employees (16.5% of total). Figure 2.9 illustrates occupational categories. The most prevalent occupational category in Hawaiian Gardens is Services, in which 1,635 (26.9% of total) employees work. The second-most prevalent type of work is in Production, which employs 1,383 (22.8% of total) individuals.

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American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates using groupings of 2-digit NAICS codes Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates using groupings of SOC Figure 2.8 Employment by Industry
Figure 2.9 Employment by Occupation

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Farmworkers
Statewide, farmworker housing is of unique concern and of unique importance. While only a small share of SCAG region jurisdictions have farmworkers living in them, they are essential to the region’s economy and food supply. The 2014-2018 American Community Survey identified 19 persons residing in Hawaiian Gardens as employed in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sectors. These persons are likely to be employed in nurseries and not in traditional agricultural production. The demand for housing generated by farm workers in the City is thus estimated to be extremely low.

The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning published a Farmworker Housing Ordinance in September 2010. The ordinance is part of a program in the Los Angeles County Housing Element which brings the County’s provisions for farmworker housing into compliance with the Employee Housing Act of the California Health and Safety Code.

The Housing Element Law requires an analysis of housing needs specific to special needs populations, including farmworkers (Government Code Section 65583 (a)(7)). In addition, the Housing Element Law requires an inventory of sites suitable for residential development, including housing for farmworkers (Government Code 65583(a)(3)). Where the sites inventory does not identify adequate sites to accommodate housing for farmworkers, the program must provide sufficient sites to meet the need with zoning that permits farmworker housing use by right (Government Code 65583(c)(1)(C)).

The Housing Element Law also states that local jurisdictions cannot disapprove a housing development project or impose conditions that render a project infeasible for low-income individuals, including farmworkers, without providing written findings based on substantial evidence on specified provisions, including that the development project is proposed on land zoned for agriculture or resource preservation that is surrounded on at least two sides by land being used for agricultural or resource preservation purposes, or which does not have adequate water or wastewater facilities to serve the project (Government Code Section 65589.5).

In the Los Angeles County area, only the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley Areas include land with active agricultural uses, as well as the Santa Catalina Island Local Coastal Plan (LCP), which outlines policies that include the provision and expansion of supportive (employee) housing.

With low wages and very high housing costs in Los Angeles County, farmworkers are one group among many who are designated as having a special need for affordable and appropriate housing by the State of California. The variability of seasonal changes, technological advances in agriculture, along with increasing international market competition have led to fewer days of work per year for the County’s agricultural employees.

Los Angeles County has seen a significant decrease in agricultural workers. State EDD data (CA Employment Development Department, Industry Employment & Labor Force data for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale March 2020) shows that between 2000 and 2020, the number of farmworkers countywide decreased by 43 percent, from 7,700 to 4,400. Agricultural

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practices no longer account for a significant sector of Los Angeles County’s economy, and as more agricultural land is converted for nonagricultural uses, this sector will continue to decline.

Most of the Los Angeles basin is classified as “Urban and Built-Up Land,” and the California Department of Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program maps show no farmland in the City of Hawaiian Gardens.

The County of Los Angeles Housing Element indicates that there are 225,217 acres of farmland designated by the State of California in Los Angeles County. There are 699,846 acres of land zoned for Agriculture. Of these designated areas, none are near Hawaiian Gardens.

Table 2.3 below identifies the locations and acreages of farmland in Los Angeles County. As shown in Table 2.4 below, the City has 19 persons employed in the Agricultural Industry.

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Table 2.3 State Designated Farmland and Agricultural Zoning Unincorporated Community Farmland
Designated
by the State
(acres)
% of
Farmland
Designated
by the State
Zoned for
Agriculture
(acres)
% of Zoned
Acres
Antelope Valley 165,142 73.33% 525,366 75.07%
Santa Clarita Valley 59,737 26.52% 114,051 16.30%
Malibu Coastal Zone 235 0.10% 47,899 6.84%
Santa Monica Mountains 103 0.05% 12,530 1.79%
Total 225,217 100.00% 699,846 100.00%
Source: Los Angeles County, Department of Regional Planning, GIS Section Table 2.4 Farmworkers by Occupation
Farmworker Housing Needs
The City has no land devoted to the production of field crops and/or ornamental plants or trees.

Likewise, there is no land used for animal production. As a result, there are no farmworker jobs located in Hawaiian Gardens. The 19 people identified as employed in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sectors may be persons with “permanent” residences in the City who are seasonal farmworkers at locations outside the City’s boundaries, or are workers employed in non-traditional agricultural production. Any housed “farmworkers” who may reside in the City would live in a household and occupy a housing unit. As such, they would be among the existing households counted as part of the existing housing needs and estimates of existing and project housing needs produced by HCD and SCAG. That is, the resident farmworker housing needs would be counted as part of the lower income households experiencing problems of overpaying, overcrowding, and living in substandard housing and their housing needs can be met through general affordable housing programs rather than by providing farmworker-specific housing.

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2.3 HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
Household type and size, income levels, and other household characteristics determine the type of housing needed by residents. This section details the various household characteristics affecting housing needs. Household characteristics provide an overview of the key socioeconomic characteristics that affect housing needs and are important indicators of the housing sizes needed in a community.

Household Sizes
The U.S. Census defines a household as any group of people who occupy a housing unit, including families*, single people, or unrelated persons sharing living quarters. Persons living in licensed facilities, retirement homes, or dormitories are not considered households. *According to the most current U.S. Census definition, family is defined as “A group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.” This Housing Element includes Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review, which includes changing the definition of family to: Family means one or more persons living together in a dwelling unit, with common access to, and common use of all living, kitchen, and eating areas within the dwelling unit.

Figure 2.10, Households by Household Size, illustrates the range of household sizes in Hawaiian Gardens for owners, renters, and overall. The most commonly occurring household size in the City is of three people (23.6%) and the second-most commonly occurring household size is of two people (18.6%). Hawaiian Gardens has a lower share of single-person households than the SCAG region overall (14.9% vs. 23.4%) and a higher share of 7+ person households than the SCAG region overall (4% vs. 3.1%).

Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.10 Households by Household Size

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2.4 HOUSING STOCK
Housing types, age, vacancy rates, conditions and other factors affecting housing stock determine if the current supply of housing is in good condition or in adequate supply for residents. This section examines various stock characteristics that affect the living environment of Hawaiian Gardens residents. Housing characteristics focuses on trends related to residential development, housing type, and housing tenure.

Figure 2.11 provides information on housing stock trends in Hawaiian Gardens, which has a total of 3,724 housing units. The most prevalent housing type in Hawaiian Gardens is singlefamily-detached with 1,748 units. The share of all single-family units in Hawaiian Gardens is

61.1%, which is lower than the 61.7% share in the SCAG region. Out of the total housing units in Hawaiian Gardens, there are 3,646 occupied units, which equates to a 2.1% total vacancy rate. The average household size (as expressed by the population to housing unit ratio) is

4.013.

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Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year
Source: CA DOF E-5 Population and Housing Unit
Figure 2.11 Housing Types
Figure 2.12 Vacant Units by Type

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Based on projected estimates by the California Department of Finance, over the past two decades (2000-2020), there has been more construction of single-family residential (SFR) units than multi-family residential (MFR) units in Hawaiian Gardens. When comparing 2000 to 2020, SFR units increased by 314, MFR units decreased by 190, and mobile homes decreased by 24. Moreover, the actual units built or permitted in the City did not meet the projected numbers. Table 2.5 below shows the number of units built, the type of units for which building permits were issued, and the number of units constructed.

Housing Age & Condition
Housing age is an important indicator of the conditions of Hawaiian Gardens’ housing stock.

Homes and structures weather with use and deteriorate with time. If they are not properly maintained, housing can deteriorate quickly and become eyesores or potential sources of danger. This directly affects property prices and city residents’ quality of life. A city with an older housing stock and a population with lower incomes must budget more for preservation assistance, home repair costs, and energy upgrades.

Figure 2.14 shows that very few housing units were built in the City between 2010 and 2013, and even fewer units were built in 2014 and later; City Building Department records show that between 2015 and 2021, a net 28 housing units were built.

The largest proportion of Hawaiian Gardens' housing units was built between 1950-1959, corresponding to a post-World War II housing boom. By contrast, in the SCAG region overall, more units were built during 1970-1979 than any other period. This indicates that most of the housing units in the City are older than housing units in the region and may thus require proportionately more rehabilitation and upkeep.

Source: CA DOF E-5 Population and Housing Unit Estimates Figure 2.13 Housing Vacancy Trends

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Table 2.5 below shows a breakdown of construction in the City between 2015 and 2021. Of the net units built, three were demolitions and rebuilds, two were rebuilds without demolition, 24 were new units, and six were Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU).

Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year
Figure 2.14 Housing Units by Year Structure Built

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Table 2.5 Units Constructed Between 2015 and 2021
Address Demo Rebuild New ADU/
JADU Net
Permit
Issued, Not
Finalized
1 12240 224th Street 1 1
2 22409 Violeta 1 1
3 22408 Elaine 1 1 0
4 21306 Norwalk Blvd. 1 1 X
5 21931 Violeta 1 1 X
6 12126 215th 1 0
7 21826 Clarkdale 1 1 X
8 22222 Joliet 1 1
9 21827 Hawaiian 2 2
10 12302 221st 1 1 0
11 22408 Elaine 1 1 0
12 12323 223rd 1 0
13 22415 Seine (vacant) 1 1
14 12302 221st (vacant) 1 1
15 22417 Elaine (vacant) 1 1
16 21915 Devlin (vacant) 2 2
17 21737 Verne 1 1
18 22217 Arline (from duplex to single family) 1 -1
19 21715 Juan (vacant) 1 1
20 21717 Seine 1 1
21 12362 211th (vacant) 1 1
22 12017 Civic Center 1 1
23 22330 Arline (vacant) 1 1 X
24 21926 Hawaiian Ave (1 single family + 1 ADU) 1 1 2 X 25 22406 Clarkdale (vacant) 1 1
26 12321 221st (vacant) 1 1
27 12135 221st (vacant) 1 1
28 12711 Elaine (vacant) 1 1
29 21715 Elaine 1 1
30 22112 Ibex 1 1 X
31 12062 223rd 1 1 X
32 22013 Arline 1 1 X
TOTAL 3 5 24 6 28
Source: City of Hawaiian Gardens Community Development Department (2021)

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The City’s record corresponds with the data from ACS which indicates a drastic drop in the number of housing units built in the City in recent years. Therefore, as previously stated, most of the housing units in the City are older, and without the increased construction of new housing in the City, many of City’s residents will continue to live in older units in need of more rehabilitation and upkeep.

As previously discussed, Hawaiian Gardens is the smallest City in Los Angeles County with a land area of less than 1 square mile. Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard perpendicularly intersect at the general center of the City and separate the City into four quadrants. As shown later in Figure 4.3, each quadrant is zoned for residential uses, with the southwest quadrant having the most residentially-zoned parcels. The City conducted a preliminary windshield survey of residential neighborhoods in each quadrant to evaluate the existing housing stock and determined that there are no specific neighborhoods in the City that have a higher number of units in need of repair or replacement. The City also determined that the code violation and housing condition issues generally consisted of deteriorating materials (e.g., roofs, paint, windows), chain link fencing, trash, unmaintained landscaping, and parking in unpermitted areas. Overall, the City estimates that there are 423 units in need of rehabilitation.

Beautification Program (Housing Rehabilitation Program) The Beautification Program is the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Program and helps to maintain the City’s current housing stock, a goal of the Housing Element. The City’s Beautification Program (Program 11) serves to eliminate the appearance of blight, enhance the City of Hawaiian Gardens’ neighborhoods, increase property values, and bring properties into compliance with the Municipal Code.

The Program provides housing rehabilitation assistance to the following: residential properties, single-family properties, duplex properties, condominium properties, and mobile home properties. The Program offers grants to residents that range from $3,000 to $25,000. The grants are available to low- and moderate- income residents and there are also grants for residents with no income requirements. Income eligible applicants must have lower incomes – that is, less than 80% of the Los Angeles County median income. For example, a family of four persons must have an annual income of less than $95,300 to be eligible for financial assistance; a family of one must have an annual income of less than $66,750 (see City of Hawaiian Gardens, City Beautification Program, State Income Limits, available at:
https://www.hgcity.org/government/departments/community-development/housing-division/citybeautification-program (accessed January 18, 2022).

The Beautification Program offers housing rehabilitation assistance to residents in order to make improvements and repairs including roofing, plumbing, heating, windows, flooring, electrical systems, interior/exterior painting, bathroom and kitchen remodels, energy conservation improvements, and bedroom additions to relieve overcrowded conditions.

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The Housing Rehabilitation staff assists interested families with the following tasks:
• Completing the application form;
• Performing an on-site inspection of the property;
• Helping the family to obtain bids from qualified contractors; and • Monitoring the construction process.

This program has been funded by City’s general fund and the Public Housing Authority.

Subject to funding availability, the program will be implemented throughout the 2021-2029 planning period. Program 11 requires the City to continue researching additional funding sources to provide more grants to lower-income residents with grants by the end of 2024.

Additionally, the City is required to create additional income requirements to prioritize the distribution of grants to lower-income residents that are currently on the waitlist by the end of 2024.

From 2013-2021 there were 73 rehabilitation projects that were awarded funding and completed. Most of the permit requests were for roofs (18), windows (15), fencing (11), and exterior painting. Approximately 25 mobile homes received financial grants for interior and exterior improvements. The timeframe for processing the grant applications, establishing a scope of work, obtaining bids, and completing the work is approximately three to four months.

Window Security Bar Removal Program
In 2019, the City’s Housing Division initiated the Window Security Bar Removal Program. This program is continued during the 2021- 2029 planning period as part of Program 11. The program is available to residents who have security bars on the windows of their property that are visible from the street. There are no income limits for this program. The grant amount is $4,000 per resident. The Program offers assistance to the following types of properties:
residential properties, single-family homes, mobile homes, duplexes, and condominium properties. This program is voluntary and intended to improve the aesthetics of homes, increase curb appeal, and enhance the overall appearance of the City’s neighborhoods. In addition to removing security bars, other improvements may include windows, security cameras, exterior paint, and landscaping. bars. The application-to-implementation process takes less than a month. To date, 1,610 of these projects have been completed.

Code Enforcement Program
This program continues an existing program that was included in the 2006 – 2014 Housing Element and the 2013 – 2021 Housing Element (Program 9). The City will continue to implement this program during the 2021 – 2029 planning period, with modifications to address the requirements of Assembly Bill 838 (2021) and ensure a more proactive program during the planning period.

Code enforcement is driven by residents’ complaints. The City staff inspects the reported properties and notices are given to the property owners having code violations. In accordance with AB 838, as part of its Code Enforcement Program, the City shall inspect a property when

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it receives a complaint that alleges violation of Health and Safety Code Sections 17920.3 or 17920.10, including, but not limited to, lack of working bathrooms or kitchens, lack of room dimensions, natural light, or ventilation required by code, or lack of electricity. Inspections shall take place at least as promptly as the City provides final building inspections. If the compliant is substantiated through the inspection, the City shall notify the property owner of the code violations and schedule a reinspection to ensure the violations have been properly addressed.

The City mostly receives complaints about nuisances. Examples include: graffiti, trash, junk in yard, overgrown shrubs or trees encroaching from one yard to another, bulky items left in rightof-way, inoperable vehicles, illegal businesses without business licenses, excessive animals, roosters, adults living in garages (without appropriately-permitted garage conversions), odors, substandard housing violations, yard sales, commercial maintenance, fence placement, noise, unpermitted construction, unpermitted garage conversion, and parking in front yards. This Program also educates homeowners on the requirements and process to legally convert a garage to a dwelling unit - the City permits garage conversions but requires that a resident/owner obtain building permits for the improvements.

This program effort is funded in part by CDBG funds that the City receives as part of the Urban County program. According to the County’s Annual Action Plan, the code enforcement activity provides funds for the enforcement of codes as they relate to residential properties in the lowand moderate-income census tracts of the City of Hawaiian Gardens. From 2013 through 2021 there were 3,813 code violation cases. There were 3,798 cases closed during this period, a closure rate of 99.6%. Note that the City does not track code enforcement cases by household income status. Table 2.6 shows the breakdown by year.

Table 2.6 Code Enforcement Cases 2013-2021
Year Cases
2021 141
2020 99
2019 189
2018 366
2017 475
2016 485
2015 796
2014 788
2013 474
Source: City of Hawaiian Gardens Community Development Department (2021)

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Additionally, as part of Program 9, the City will also create a code enforcement progress program by the end of 2024 and will be implemented by June 2025. The code enforcement program will include a windshield survey conducted annually during the planning period. The windshield survey will include streets where the City has received more than 3 complaints in the same month. Code enforcement officers will be required to take the necessary actions (e.g., warning letter, fine) to ensure the violation is corrected. The key elements of this program are to take a more active approach towards code enforcement in the City, ensure that the City maintains adequate records of code violations and current housing conditions, and substantially reduce the number of code violations in the City.

Housing Tenure
Housing security can depend heavily on housing tenure, i.e., whether homes are owned or rented. Hawaiian Gardens’ housing stock consists of 3,724 housing units, 1,608 of which are owner-occupied and 2,247 of which are renter-occupied. The proportion of renters in Hawaiian Gardens is higher than in the SCAG region overall.

2.5 HOUSING COSTS AND AFFORDABILITY
The department of Housing and Urban Development defines “affordable housing” as housing for which the owner or tenant pays less than 30% of the household income for rent or mortgage. The cost of housing vis-à-vis income directly impacts the degree of affordability. If housing costs are high relative to income, there will be a correspondingly higher prevalence of borrowing in the case of homeowners, and overpayment in the case of renters. Overcrowding also increases as people turn to sharing homes and apartments to reduce housing costs. This section summarizes the cost and affordability of Hawaiian Gardens’ housing stock.

Source: American Community Survey, 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.15 Housing Tenure

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Between 2000 and 2018, median home sales prices in Hawaiian Gardens increased 186% while prices in the SCAG region increased 151%. In 2018, the median home sales prices in Hawaiian Gardens was $334,250. Prices in Hawaiian Gardens have ranged from a low of

49.8% of the SCAG region median in 2012 and a high of 68.8% in 2006.

RENTAL VS. OWNED HOUSING
Rental Housing
Most of Hawaiian Gardens' 2,247 renter households struggle with housing affordability. 1,280 (57%) spend 30% or more of gross income on housing cost, compared to 55.3% in the SCAG region. Additionally, 869 renter households in Hawaiian Gardens (38.7%) spend 50% or more of gross income on housing cost, compared to 28.9% in the SCAG region.

Figure 2.17 below breaks down cost burden by area-relative income. The ACS also allows for the analysis of Hawaiian Gardens' renter households (for which income data are available) by spending on rent by income bracket (dollar amounts). The general trend is that low-income households spend a higher share of their income on housing (e.g., over 50%) while highincome households are more likely to spend less than 20% of their income on housing.

SCAG Local Profiles, Core Logic/Data Quick. SCAG median home sales price calculated as household-weighted average of county medians.

Figure 2.16 Median Home Prices

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Source: American Community Survey, 2014-2018 5-year estimates Source: American Community Survey, 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.17 Rental Housing Cost by Income
Figure 2.18 Percent of Income Spent on Rent

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Source: American Community Survey, 2014-2018 5-year estimates Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.19 Spending on Rent by Income Category
Figure 2.20 Household Income by Cash Rent

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Owned Housing
While renter households receive much of the focus when it comes to housing cost analysis, owner households make up 41.7% of Hawaiian Gardens’ and 52.5% of the SCAG region. The most commonly occurring mortgage payment in Hawaiian Gardens is $1500-$2000/month and the most commonly occurring mortgage payment in the SCAG region is $2000-$3000/month.

Mortgage-holding households in Hawaiian Gardens can be broken down by income and the percentage of income spent on mortgage costs. The general trend is that lower-income households spend a higher share of income on housing costs, while high-income households may spend a lower share of income on housing. The income category most prevalent amongst Hawaiian Gardens mortgage-holding households is $75,000 or more (520 households) and the most prevalent share of income spent on mortgage costs is more than 30% (615 households).

Figure 2.22 below shows the breakdown of percent of income spent on mortgage costs.

Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.21 Monthly Owner Costs for Mortgage Holders

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Another approach to evaluating the relationship between housing and income is to compare incomes and home values in Hawaiian Gardens. The most commonly occurring income category amongst owner households in Hawaiian Gardens is $50,000 to $74,999 (398 households) and the most commonly-occurring home value category is $200,000 to $500,000 (1,143 households). Figure 2.23 below illustrates the distribution of household income to home value.

Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates Figure 2.22 Cost for Mortgage Holders by Income

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2.6 HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has identified a total of 331 housing units for Hawaiian Gardens’ Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA units are broken down as follows: 61 very low-income units, 44 low-income units, 46 moderate income units, and 180 above moderate-income units.

Table 2.7 Final 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation Figure 2.23 Household Income by Home Value
Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates

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EXISTING NEEDS
Extremely Low-Income Households
An extremely low-income household is defined as a household with income less than 30% of area median income. According to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the area median household income for a family of four in Hawaiian Gardens is $91,100. For extremely low-income households, this results in an income of $35,750 or less.

Households with extremely low incomes have a variety of housing situations and needs. For example, most families and individuals receiving public assistance, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), are considered extremely low-income households. At the same time, a minimum wage worker could be in the extremely low-income household category with an annual income of approximately $17,000 or less.

The race/ethnicity with the highest share of extremely low-income households in Hawaiian Gardens is Black, non-Hispanic (40% compared to 31% of total population). In the SCAG region, the highest share of extremely low-income households is Black, non-Hispanic (27.1% compared to 17.7% of total households).

Section 8 Housing Vouchers
The Housing Authority of the City of Hawaiian Gardens participates in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and serves the residents of Hawaiian Gardens. In 2020 the City issued 29 vouchers. In 2021 the City’s Housing Authority managed 121 active Housing Choice Vouchers. The Housing Authority’s voucher program has an annual turnover rate of 4% The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 9 years and 7 months. The average voucher household contains 2.4 persons and has a household income of $17,012 per year. Of the total number of households, 84% were extremely low income (ELI) and 97% of households participating in the Section 8 Program were very low income (VLI). The income of the households included wages (24%), welfare (11%-TANF, General or Public Assistance), (or other sources of income (64% Social Security, Disability, or pension). As of June 21, 2021, the monthly cost per voucher is $855.00, or $88,505.00 per month for all of the vouchers within the City. The Ported-Out vouchers cost $1,677.00 per voucher, or $20,122.00 per month.

Of the total number of participants, 84% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 57% of all heads of households being Black, less than 15% being White (Hispanic), and 12 % being other ethnicities. Of all households participating in the City’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, 21% included at least one person with a disability. Of the total, 21% of the households have a head of household 61 years or younger with a disability. Of the total, 54% of the households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

The total number of voucher holders include 22% who reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom; 61% with 2 bedrooms; and 17% with 3 or more bedrooms. About 23% of voucher recipients are considered “over housed.” These households occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

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Of the City’s 3,724 housing units, 834 are found in buildings consisting of five or more dwelling units. The majority of the rental multi-family housing units, 489 of 834 – are in four apartment communities, shown in Table 2.8 below.

Apartment Community Year Built Number of Housing Units
Hawaiian Terrace Apartments 1990 101
Cypress Gardens Villas 1971 102
Hawaiian Gardens 1971 264
Cypress Villas 1971 22
Total Apartment Units 489
Source: City of Hawaiian Gardens Community Development Department The City’s existing affordable housing stock includes 248 individually-owned mobile home units in two park locations. Mobile home parks are under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which enforces the Mobile Home Parks Act (California Health and Safety Code, §§18200-18700). Section 18400.1(a) requires that HCD to complete an inspection of the exterior portions of all individual manufactured homes and mobile homes.

PROJECTED NEEDS
To calculate the projected housing needs, the City assumed 50% of its very low-income regional housing needs are extremely low-income (ELI) households.1 Accordingly, from the very low-income need of 61 units, the City can project a need of 31 units for extremely lowincome households. Many extremely low-income households will be seeking rental housing and most likely facing an overpayment, overcrowding or substandard housing condition. Some extremely low-income households may include individuals with mental or other disabilities and special needs.

Extremely Low-Income Household Needs
Table 2.9 below shows the distribution of extremely low-income households among demographic cohorts. At the time of the American Community Survey counts, there were 1,350 households with less than 30% of the HUD Area Median Family Income (HAMFI), including:
389 White, non-Hispanic households; 245 Black, non-Hispanic households; 643 Asian and other, non-Hispanic households; and 2,550 Hispanic households. 1 The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) indicates that an agency can calculate the projected housing need for ELI households by applying one of the following two methodologies to the regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) for very lowincome households: (1) Use available U.S. Census data to calculate the percentage/number of very low-income households that qualify as ELI households or (2) Presume that 50 percent of very low-income households qualify as ELI households. The provided number of ELI households and very low-income households must equal the jurisdiction's RHNA for very low-income households. See HCD, Extremely LowIncome Housing Needs, available at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/housing-elements/buildingblocks/extremely-low-income-housing-needs (accessed January 23, 2023) Table 2.8 Apartment Communities in Hawaiian Gardens

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CURRENT STRATEGIES
Accessory Dwelling Units
The City’s current Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADU) requirements are found in Zoning Code §18.90, Supplemental Regulations, Section 18.90.080.

In 2019, the California Legislature approved, and the Governor signed into law a number of bills that amended Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22 to impose new limits on local authority to regulate ADUs and junior ADUs. The City adopted Ordinance No. 585 to be in compliance with State law on December 10, 2019.

The purpose of this ordinance is to allow for the creation, through a ministerial process, of ADUs and JADUs in accordance with California Government Code §65852.2 and 65852.22.

Facilitating the development of Accessory Dwelling Units will increase the housing options for family members, seniors, low wage workers, persons with disabilities, students, and others in the community. Approval or denial of any ADU/JADU under a ministerial approval must be completed within 60 days after receiving a complete application from the applicant. An ADU may be an existing residential unit, but not as a JADU, at the time a new primary dwelling is proposed for construction. A JADU may be designated as part of the construction and within a new primary dwelling.

Since the passing of Ordinance No. 585 in 2019, the City has received 27 applications for ADUs, including 11 in 2021 and 16 in 2022.

Table 2.9 Extremely Low-Income Housing Needs
Source: SCAG 2021

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In September of 2020, the California Legislature approved, and the Governor signed into law, Assembly Bill 3182 (AB 3182). AB 3182, among other things, amended Government Code § 65852.2 to (1) expand the scenarios under which the City must allow certain ADUs and JADUs with only a building permit; and (2) clarify the timeline under which the City must act on a complete ADU application. Accordingly, the City adopted Ordinance No. 2022-607 in January 2023, which amended Zoning Code §18.90, Supplemental Regulations, Section 18.90.080, to comply with current State law (see Program 15).

To further promote the development of ADUs in the City and address the needs of very low-, low-, and moderate-income households, the City will promote the development of ADUs to be rented to people with vouchers through the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT) forthcoming ADU loan program (Program 28).

Two-Unit Projects
The City adopted Ordinance No. 2021-599 on December 14, 2021, which added new provisions to the City’s Zoning Code allowing for two-unit projects to be permitted in the R-1 10,000-Single family estate zone and R-1-Single family residential zone as codified in Zoning Code §18.40, Residential Zones, Section 18.40.025. The purpose of adopting this ordinance is to allow and appropriately regulate two-unit projects in accordance with Government Code Section 65852.21. Similar to ADUs and JADUs, this ordinance will increase the housing options for community members with different incomes and needs, including family members, seniors, low wage workers, persons with disabilities, and students. The City has 30 days to inform the applicant in writing of any incompleteness after the application is submitted, and is approved or denied ministerially by the Community Development Director.

Density Bonuses – HGMC Section 18.090.070
Density bonuses are mandated in part by the State’s Density Bonus Law (California Government Code §§ 65915 and 65917) and provide incentives for the development of affordable housing units for the very low income, lower income, or senior households.

In accordance with Government Code § 65915, the City is required to grant a density bonus and at least one additional concession or incentive, or a financially equivalent incentive to eligible housing developments. The density bonus is also a means of increasing the City’s housing pool by encouraging developers to set aside at least 10 percent of the total units allowed by the maximum density for affordable housing and that the units be occupied by lowincome households.

The requirement could also allow 5 percent of the units allowed by the maximum permitted density to be provided as affordable housing units and occupied by very-low-income household. Density bonus would also apply if the development is a senior housing development or mobile home park that limits residency based on age requirements for housing persons 55 years or older.

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This Housing Element includes Program 5, Density Bonus Program, to implement the State’s density bonus laws in the City and include additional density increases for projects that meet the City’s demonstrated housing needs for lower-income households.

The density bonus program can help boost the City’s housing supply especially for targeted income groups. To be eligible for the density bonus program, the development must consist of five or more units. The City’s complete density bonus provisions are included in Section 4.2.

To further address the housing needs of extremely low-income households, it is recommended that the City identify and meet with nonprofit builders who specialize in building housing for extremely low-income households and supportive housing (Program 7). This effort will:
• Build a long-term partnership in development,
• Gain access to specialized funding sources, including applying for funding sources that support deeper targeting,
• Identify the range of local resources and assistance needed to facilitate the development of housing for extremely low-income households, and • Promote a variety of housing types, including higher density, multifamily supportive, single room occupancy, and shared housing.

As part of Program 7, the Community Development Director will develop an action plan with the City’s nonprofit partners to develop housing for extremely low-income households by the end of 2024. Activities include assisting with site identification and acquisition, local financial resources, assisting and streamlining entitlements and providing concessions and incentives.

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Housing Units Permitted
Figure 2.24 provides an overview of the most current data available for the housing units permitted in the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the SCAG area, based on units per 1,000 population. It shows the City trailing the SCAG region in all housing categories of permitted housing types from 2000 to 2018.

2.7 OVERCROWDING AND OVERPAYMENT
Overcrowding
Overcrowding is typically defined as more than one person residing in a room, based on the Census Bureau’s definition of “room,” which excludes bathrooms, porches, balconies, foyers, halls, or half-rooms. Severe overcrowding occurs when there are more than 1.5 persons residing in a room. Overcrowding can result when there are not enough adequately sized units within a community, or when high housing cost relative to income forces too many individuals or families to share housing. Overcrowding can also accelerate deterioration of the housing stock.

There are about 775 crowded households in Hawaiian Gardens. Of this total, about 80% are “crowded,” and 20% are “severely crowded.” Two hundred sixty-three owner-occupied and 512 renter-occupied households had more than 1.0 occupant per room, which meets the ACS definition for overcrowding. Sixty-seven owner-occupied households and 285 renter-occupied households had more than 1.5 occupants per room, which meets the ACS definition for severe overcrowding.

Source: Core Logic/Data Quick. Additional detail available in SCAG 2019 Local Profiles. SCAG median home sales price calculated as household-weighted average of county medians.

Figure 2.24 Housing Units Permitted (SCAG Region and City)

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Housing Cost Burden
Housing cost burden is measured as the percentage of gross income spent on housing, with 30% of income as the usual threshold for “cost burden” and 50% of income as the threshold for “severe cost burden.” However, a lower-income household spending the same percent of income on housing as a higher-income household will likely experience truer 'cost burden.' These data indicate the number of households in Hawaiian Gardens by their income relative to the surrounding area and their share of income spent on housing.

Source: American Community Survey 2014 – 2018 5-year estimates.

Source: HUD CHAS, 2012-2016. HAMFI refers to Housing Urban Development Area Median Family Income.

Table 2.10 Cost Burden by Income
Figure 2.25 Crowding by Extent and Tenure

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Overpayment
A household is considered to be overpaying for housing (or cost burdened) if it spends more than 30% of its gross income on housing. Severe housing cost burden occurs when a household pays more than 50% of its income on housing. The prevalence of overpayment varies significantly by income, tenure, household type, and household size.

Across Hawaiian Gardens’ 2,247 renter households, 1,280 (57%) spend thirty percent or more of gross income on housing cost, compared to 55.3% in the SCAG region. Additionally, 869 renter households in Hawaiian Gardens (38.7%) spend 50% or more of gross income on housing cost, compared to 28.9% in the SCAG region. Figures 2.17 - 2.19 presented earlier in Section 2.5 illustrate the distribution of rent payments vs. income.

While Figure 2.17 breaks down cost burden by percent of income, Figure 2.18 shows renters’ spending on rent by income category (dollar amounts). As stated previously, the general trend is that low-income households spend a higher share of income on housing (e.g., over 50%) while high-income households are more likely to spend under 20% of income on housing.

Hawaiian Gardens’ renter households' cash rent paid can be broken down by household incomes. Lower-income households appear to spend less on rent while higher-income households spend more on rent. Rent categories range from less than $500/month (11.4% of Hawaiian Gardens renters) to more than $2,000/month (3.8% of Hawaiian Gardens renters).

The most common rent category in Hawaiian Gardens is $1,000-1,500/month with 45.7% of renters.

2.8 “AT-RISK” HOUSING
Conversion Risk
California Government Code Section 65583 requires that housing elements include an inventory of all assisted rental housing units within the local jurisdiction that are at-risk of losing that assistance (rent subsidies from federal, State or local governmental programs), mortgage prepayment, or being converted to other uses if the expiration date of their financing program is between 2021 and 2031 (i.e., 10 years from the beginning of the housing element planning period (2021)). In all, there are 241 units at risk of conversion in Hawaiian Gardens.

The California Housing Partnership (CHP) provides data on assisted housing units and assesses the level of risk to converting to market rate. These data identify homes without a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability beyond the indicated timeframe and unless otherwise noted are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer.

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Table 2.11 Assisted Units at Risk of Conversion
Risk Level Definition
Low-Income
Units in
Jurisdiction
Percent of
County’s
Low-Income
Units
Very High At-risk of converting to market rate within the next year 0 0% High At risk of converting to market rate in the next 1-5 years 0 0% Moderate At risk of converting to market rate in the next 5-10 years 0 0% Low At risk of converting to market rate in the next 10+ years and/or are owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer. 241 100%
Total 241 100%
Source: California Housing Partnership, July 2020. Includes HUD, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), USDA, and CalHFA projects.

Subsidized or assisted developments that do not have one of the aforementioned financing sources may not be included There are three general cases that can result in the conversion of publicly-assisted units:

1. Prepayment of HUD Mortgages (Section 221(d)(3), Section 202 and Section 236) Section 221 (d)(3) is a privately-owned project where the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides either below-market interest rate loans or market-rate loans with a subsidy to the tenants. With Section 236 assistance, HUD provides financing to the owner to reduce the costs for tenants by paying most of the interest on a market rate mortgage. Additional rental subsidy may be provided to the tenant. Section 202 assistance provides a direct loan to non-profit organizations for project development and rent subsidy for low-income elderly tenants. Section 202 helps with developing units for physically handicapped, developmentally disabled, and chronically mentally ill residents.

2. Opt-outs and Expirations of Project-Based Section 8 Contracts — Section 8 is a federally-funded program that provides for subsidies to the owner of a pre-qualified project for the difference between the tenant’s ability to pay and the contract rent. Optouts occur when the owner of the project decides to opt-out of the contract with HUD by pre-paying the remainder of the mortgage. Usually, the likelihood of opt-outs increases as the market rents exceed the contract rents.

The Hawaiian Gardens Apartments is the only rental development in the City that participates in the Section 8 Housing Program. As part of Program 6, Section 8 Rental Assistance, the City will work with landlords of existing apartment buildings by the end of 2024 and future apartment buildings during the initial lease-up process to promote participation in the Section 8 Housing Program.

3. Other — Expiration of the low-income use period of various financing sources, such as Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), bond financing, density bonuses, California Housing Finance Agency (CALHFA), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) HOME and redevelopment funds. Generally, bond-financing properties expire according to a qualified project period or when the bonds mature.

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Federally Assisted “At Risk” Units
At-Risk Units include a study of all low-income housing units which may at some future time be lost to affordable inventory by the expiration of some type of affordability restrictions. The law requires that the analysis and study cover a ten-year period, and be divided into two periods, coinciding with updates of the housing elements.

According to the City’s Community Development Department, there are no projects in the federal “at risk” category; however, as shown in Table 2.11 above, there are 241 units at-risk of being converted to market-rate within the next 10 years. This Housing Element includes Program 13, At-Risk Housing Preservation, which identifies the specific actions the City will implement during the planning period to identify and assist at-risk housing units in the City.

Qualified Entities
“Qualified entities” are nonprofit or for-profit organizations or individuals that agree to maintain the long-term affordability of housing projects. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) keeps a current list of all the qualified entities across the State.

Efforts by the City to retain low-income housing must be able to draw upon two basic types of preservation resources: organizational and financial. Qualified, non-profit entities need to be made aware of the future possibilities of units becoming at-risk. Groups with whom the City has an ongoing association are the logical entities for future participation. The qualified entities that HCD lists for Los Angeles County are listed below in Table 2.12.

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Table 2.12 Qualified Entities

1. A Community of Friends 28. Jamboree Housing Corporation

2. Abbey Road Inc. 29. Keller & Company

3. Access Community Housing, Inc. 30. Korean Youth & Community Center, Inc. (KYCC)

4. Affordable Homes 31. Latin American Civic Assoc.

5. Affordable Housing People 32. Long Beach Affordable Housing Coalition, Inc.

6. Century Housing Corporation 33. Los Angeles Center for Affordable Tenant Housing

7. Century Pacific Equity Corporation 34. Los Angeles Community Design Center

8. City Housing Real Estate Services 35. Los Angeles Housing Department/ Policy Planning Unit

9. City of Pomona Housing Authority 36. Los Angeles Housing Partnership, Inc.

10. Coalition for Economic Survival 37. Los Angeles Low Income Housing Corp. (LALIH)

11. Community Partnership Dev. Corp 38. LTSC Community Development Corporation

12. Community Rehabilitation Services, Inc. 39. Many Mansions, Inc.

13. CSI Support & Development Services 40. Menorah Housing Foundation

14. DML & Associates Foundation 41. Nehemiah Progressive Housing Dev. Corp.

15. Doty-Burton Associates 42. Nexus for Affordable Housing

16. Eden Housing, Inc. 43. Orange Housing Development Corporation

17. FAME Housing Corporation 44. Pico Union Housing Corporation

18. Foundation for Quality Housing 45. Poker Flats LLC

19. Opportunities, Inc. 46. ROEM Development Corporation

20. Francis R. Hardy, Jr. 47. Shelter For The Homeless

21. Hart Community Homes 48. Skid Row Housing Trust

22. Hollywood Community Housing Corp. 49. Southern California Housing Development Corp

23. Home and Community 50. Southern California Presbyterian Homes

24. Hope - Net 51. The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU)

25. Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles 52. The Long Beach Housing Development Co.

26. Housing Corporation of America 53. West Hollywood Community Housing Corp.

27. Irvine Housing Opportunities 54. Winnetka King, LLC Source: http://hcd.ca.gov/hpd/hrc/tech/presrv/

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2.9 OPPORTUNITY FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION
State law requires the Housing Element to include an analysis of the opportunities for energy conservation in residential development (Government Code Section 65583(a)(7)). Planning for energy conservation is important for several reasons, but mainly because of the environmental costs and financial costs involved in energy use. This section of the report will discuss both factors briefly before moving on to discuss City programs and strategies to reduce energy use in new and existing housing. Moreover, all new construction must comply with the most recent California Building Efficiency Standards within the California Building Code (Title 24), which are designed to reduce overall energy consumption. The City’s Building Department ensures that project plans meet these standards.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by human activity are generally understood to contribute cumulatively to global climate change, resulting in projected increases in ocean temperatures, melting of polar ice and associated sea level rise, changes to weather and precipitation patterns, and overall planetary warming. GHGs accumulate in the atmosphere allowing incoming short-wavelength visible sunlight to penetrate, while restricting outgoing terrestrial long-wavelength heat radiation from exiting the atmosphere. This phenomenon creates a greenhouse effect where Earth’s heat is trapped. The principal greenhouse gases (GHGs) include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Collectively, GHGs are measured as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) of metric tonnes (MT).

Fossil-fuel consumption in the transportation sector (on-road motor vehicles, off-highway mobile sources, and aircraft) is the single largest source of GHG emissions, accounting for approximately half of global GHG emissions, and approximately 37% of California’s GHG emissions (California Air Resources Board, California’s 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan, (CARB Scoping Plan) Figure 3, p. 11, available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ourwork/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan (accessed October 31, 2022).

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32/AB 32), the principal legislation governing GHG emissions in California, mandated reducing California’s GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and tasked the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with regulating GHG emissions as well as coordinating with other state agencies to implement AB 32’s reduction goals. Subsequent legislation and executive orders target various GHG-emission sources and set forth strategies for local agencies, including Senate Bill (SB) 1368 (emissions performance standards for utilities), SB 375 (sustainable communities strategies), SB 535 (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, identifying disadvantaged communities for investment), EO S-03-05 (GHG-reduction goal of 80% by 2050 from 1990 levels), EO S-20-06 (biofuels and biomass electricity generation targets), EO S-01-07 (low carbon fuel standard), EO S-13-08 (climate adaptation strategy/sea level rise), EO B-16-12 (zero-emission vehicle program), EO B-18-12 (state agencies directed to purchase zero-emission vehicles), and EO B-30-15 (sets GHG emissions target for 2030 at 40% below 1990 levels).

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Senate Bill 375 was enacted to link land use and transportation in a manner that would reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), thereby reducing GHG emissions. Under SB 375, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for establishing GHG emission-reduction targets, and regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are responsible for preparing and adopting “Sustainable Communities Strategies” that achieve CARB’s targets. In 2018, the CARB reported California was not “on track” to achieve the SB 375 GHG targets, and that more effort to reduce VMT throughout the state was required to correspondingly reduce GHGs from personal vehicles (CARB, 2018 Progress Report: California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act (November 2018), pp. 21-28 available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ sites/default/files/2018-11/Final2018Report_SB150_112618_02_Report.pdf (accessed October 31, 2022).

EO-B-30-15 (codified in 2016 by SB 32) accelerated the GHG-emissions target for 2030 to 40 percent below 1990 levels. EO-B-30-15 also provided the CARB with additional direction for refining the Climate Change Scoping Plan, setting forth five “pillars” for accomplishing GHG reduction, including:
a. Reducing today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent; b. Increasing from one-third to 50 percent of electricity derived from renewable sources;
c. Doubling the energy efficiency savings achieved at existing buildings and making heating fuels cleaner;
d. Reducing the release of methane, black carbon, and other short-lived climate pollutants;
e. Managing farm and rangelands, forests, and wetlands so they can store carbon; and
f. Periodically updating the state's climate adaptation strategy, Safeguarding California.

The CARB’s 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan, cited above, in part implements EO B-30-15, and sets forth a “reference scenario” as a baseline for measuring how much GHG emissions can be reduced in several economic sectors. This scenario illustrates the level of GHG emissions generated statewide through 2030 with existing policies and programs, but without any further action to reduce GHGs. This level is estimated to be approximately 400 million metric tonnes (MMTs) of CO2e from all sources in 2030. The CARB’s statewide 2030 target level of emissions is approximately 260 MMTs (CARB Scoping Plan, Figure 6, 2017 Scoping Plan Scenario, p. 24). The Scoping Plan estimates that the change from 1990 levels in the residential and commercial sectors must be from 44 MMTCO2e to 38-40 MMTCO2e by 2030, a four to eight percent reduction (id., Table 3, p. 31).

CARB’s In-Use Off-Road Diesel and Large-Spark Ignition Rules requires constructionequipment operators to retire, replace, or repower older engines by fleet size category (small, medium, and large), and to achieve specific hydrocarbon (HC) + NOX fleet average emission level (FAEL) standards that become more stringent over time. Operators are required to label,

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maintain records, and report each piece of equipment subject to FAEL (See SCAQMD, Regulations and Other Commitments, available at https://www.aqmd.gov/home/airquality/clean-air-plans/air-quality-mgt-plan/facility-based-mobile-source-measures/regscommitments#Construction%20Equipment%20-%20Existing%20State, accessed November 29, 2022).

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the local MPO that includes the City of Hawaiian Gardens, and is developing a Regional Climate Adaptation Framework, which will assist local and regional jurisdictions in managing the negative impacts of climate change. The study will look at how the Southern California region can work together to plan and prepare for the impacts of sea level rise, extreme heat, increasingly frequent and damaging wildfires, and other climate-related issues.

The SCAG also develops and implements the Regional Transportation Program/Sustainable Communities Strategy. Strategies in the RTP, such as promoting park-and-ride facilities, contribute to reducing the region’s GHG emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled.

The California Climate Adaptation Strategy, launched in early 2022, is a web-based product that links together the State’s existing and planned climate adaptation efforts, showing how they fit together to achieve California’s six climate resilience priorities: strengthening protections for climate-vulnerable communities; bolstering public health and safety to protect against increasing climate risks; building a climate-resistant economy; accelerating naturebased climate solutions and strengthening climate resilience of natural systems; making decisions based on the best available climate science; and partnering and collaborating to leverage resources (See State of California, California Climate Adaptation Strategy, available at https://www.climateresilience.ca.gov/overview/index.html).

Utility Costs
In the past 20 years, rapidly increasing energy costs have contributed to the deterioration of housing affordability. For example, since 2009 (the earliest year data appear online), baseline domestic energy rates from Southern California Edison have increased from $0.078 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) per meter per day to $0.169 kWh/meter/day, a 117% increase over 13 years (Southern California Edison, Historical Prices and Rate Schedules, available at https://www.sce.com/regulatory/tariff-books/historical-rates (accessed December 19, 2022).

Although the City has no control over setting electricity rates, the City can assist residents in reducing energy consumption and thus reducing energy costs.

Energy Conservation Strategies
In addition to reducing GHG emissions, planning for energy conservation can reduce utility and maintenance costs, which in turn, leads to housing affordability. This is particularly important to lower income households with less disposable income to pay for utilities. Depending on the age and condition of the home and the number and type of appliances, energy costs can represent more than 25 percent of overall monthly housing costs. As such, the incorporation of

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energy-saving features, energy-saving materials and efficient systems in new as well as remodeled homes is an important consideration.

The City works to promote energy conservation in several ways. The Hawaiian Gardens General Plan provides policy direction under which City regulations, programs, and projects work to ensure land use, transportation, and other aspects of City operations conform to energy conservation goals. With respect to housing development, energy conservation is addressed when checking plans for new construction and for rehabilitation of existing structures.

This Housing Element includes an expansion of Program 11, City Beautification, to include funding for energy efficiency and conservation related improvements, and Program 14, Energy Conservation. The following are some additional steps the City can take for energy conservation:
• Consider the energy efficiency of new equipment when it purchases replacement equipment and purchase low energy replacements whenever feasible. • Through the City's Development Review process, require new construction to demonstrate that energy conservation measures beyond those required by Title 24 have been incorporated whenever feasible.
• To assist developers in knowing what options and special grants are available, the City shall work with the Southern California Edison Company and the Southern California Gas Company to identify new low-cost construction, heating and appliance techniques and equipment that can result in substantial energy and cost savings for future tenants and owners.
• Provide utility company contact information, including materials about energy conservation, solar incentive programs, low-income assistance programs, etc., to all applicants for building permits.
• Streamline applications for rooftop solar installation and storage battery building permits.

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2.10 AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING
Assembly Bill (AB) 686 requires that all housing elements due on or after January 1, 2021, must contain an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) consistent with the core elements of the analysis required by the federal Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Final Rule of July 16, 2015.

Under state law, affirmatively furthering fair housing means “taking meaningful actions, in addition to combatting discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.”
AB 686 requires the City and all jurisdictions in the state, to complete three major requirements as part of the housing element update:
a. Conduct an Assessment of Fair Housing that includes a summary of fair housing issues, an analysis of available federal, state, and local data knowledge to identify patterns of segregation or other barriers to fair housing, and prioritization of contributing factors to fair housing issues.
b. Prepare the Housing Element Land Inventory and identification of sites through the lens of affirmatively furthering fair housing.
c. Include a program in the Housing Element that affirmatively furthers fair housing and promotes housing opportunities throughout the community for protected classes and addresses contributing factors identified in the AFH (applies to Housing Elements beginning January 1, 2019).

As described in Sections 1.6 and 1.7 above, the Housing Element was prepared with public outreach and participation, including outreach to the community at public gatherings, and to service agencies working in the City.

2.10.1 Hawaiian Gardens History
The following history provides some context and acknowledgement of past discrimination that largely occurred in the region that precluded the opportunity to become a homeowner in the City based on race and ethnicity. As discussed below, past discrimination within the region has perpetuated demographic trends and investment patterns that still exist in the City today.

Historic Demographic Trends
The City of Hawaiian Gardens and neighboring cities comprise an area in the County that has historically consisted of minority populations, specifically Hispanic/Latino populations, which are largely present in the City and region today. Currently, as discussed in Section 2.1, Population and Demographics, 80% of the City’s residents are Hispanic/Latino, and 91.7 % of the City’s residents speak a language other than English at home. Similar to other cities in the region with large concentrations of minority populations, the City of Hawaiian Gardens consists

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of unfavorable population characteristics, including low education levels, lower incomes, lower percentage of homeownership, higher unemployment and lower paying jobs, and higher specialized housing needs when compared to the region as a whole (e.g., SCAG), which further exacerbates existing fair housing issues and disproportionate access to resources.

Therefore, it is evident that historic segregation patterns perpetuated by people in power have resulted in long-lasting consequences on these minority communities.

Historic Land Development Patterns
Incorporated in April 1964, Hawaiian Gardens remains the smallest City in Los Angeles County, with a population of 14,149 persons and a land area of less than 1 square mile. Due to the relatively small lots sizes that were established prior to the City’s incorporation, the City has an overall higher residential density when compared to most suburban communities.

The City’s first General Plan was adopted in 1973 and has been updated approximately every 10 years with its last update adopted in January 2010. Since its incorporation, the City has strived to create an inclusive neighborhood community for all families to thrive. To achieve this, the City has included goals and policies in each revision of its General Plan that provide for a variety of housing types and prohibit housing discrimination, encourage the development of retail and industry to strengthen the local economy, and invest in the City’s local infrastructure.

Despite the City’s efforts, the City continues to struggle with many of the same challenges the City has faced since its incorporation, including traffic issues, air pollution, poor aesthetic appearance, inadequate delivery of utility services, and deteriorating structures, which continue to discourage potential development and resulted in an overall disinvestment in the City.

Over the years, the majority of developed land in the City has been devoted to residential land uses and included a range of residential densities and housing types. In 1992, 62% of the land developed in the City was residential, with low-density single family accounting for 32%, two family residential accounting for 13%, high-density multi-family accounting for 12%, and mobile homes accounting for 4%. The residential land use designations and areas in the City intended for each residential land use category have remained relatively the same since the 1990s. The City has been predominantly developed with single family neighborhoods, with the R-2 zoning encompassing most of the residential development in these neighborhoods, which allows for the development of two residential units on one parcel.

Historic Investment Patterns
According to the City’s first General Plan, the City has been subject to poor traffic conditions and air pollution due to its location and proximity to major roadways, including Interstate 605 (the San Gabriel River Freeway). Since the City’s incorporation, the City has tried to prioritize the development of its roadway network to improve traffic conditions in the City. In 1973, the City conducted a Traffic Signal System Study to develop an efficient traffic signal system to reduce traffic congestion within the City. However, the lack of investment in the City’s roadways and signal system over the past 50 years has resulted in continued traffic and air pollution issues in the City.

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Additionally, the City has experienced a general lack of investment in its revenue generating uses, which has caused the City to sacrifice other essential uses, such as schools. In 1985, the City purchased the Bloomfield Elementary School site, located at the intersection of Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard from the ABC Unified School District through the City’s Redevelopment Agency. With Redevelopment Agency funds, the City converted the school into a shopping center in an effort to bring more retail services to City residents and generate more revenue for the City.

To address the existing fair housing issues caused by historic demographic trends, land development patterns, and investment patterns in the City and region, the City will continue to implement programs identified in Table 2.13 that affirmatively further fair housing opportunities to all persons regardless of race, income, or educational attainment.

Historic Trends and Concentrations of Poverty
The historic demographic, land development, and investment patterns discussed above have led to concentrations of poverty in Hawaiian Gardens and in other pockets throughout Southern California. Hawaiian Gardens, while it was still unincorporated Los Angeles County, was subdivided into relatively small-lot single-family homes that were affordable to purchase for lower income residents working in the job centers in and around Los Angeles. Due to the lower income of these initial residents, and the less expensive nature of the homes in what would become Hawaiian Gardens, the City has remained one of the more affordable communities to lower income residents.

However, as discussed in the Assessment of Fair Housing, below, lower income residents often do not have the available capital to invest in necessary maintenance and upkeep of their property. Given the age of many of the homes in Hawaiian Gardens, and the lack of maintenance, some homes have fallen into disrepair. However, the number of homes in need of rehabilitation has declined over the past decade due to homeowner turnover and local programs aimed at helping homeowners maintain their properties.

In addition, these past trends in land development and investment patterns provide a unique opportunity for housing mobility, different from many communities in Southern California. Due to the relatively lower cost of housing in Hawaiian Gardens, households can more easily afford to purchase a home in Hawaiian Gardens than they could elsewhere in the urbanized areas of Los Angeles County. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, 50.3% of households in Hawaiian Gardens moved into their home since 2010. This shows that there is a significant turnover in households living in the Hawaiian Gardens and using the existing housing stock as an intermediate rung on the housing ladder.

2.10.2 Assessment of Fair Housing
State Government Code § 65583(c)(1)(C)(10)(A)(ii) requires the City of Hawaiian Gardens to analyze areas of segregation, racially or ethically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunity, and disproportionate housing needs including displacement risk. The City of Hawaiian Gardens is characteristic of a community with a poverty rate of approximately 19% dispersed throughout the City, with challenges for access to opportunity due to a

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predominate non-English-speaking Hispanic population of approximately 80% and an Asian population of approximately 10% with the remaining population comprised of White NonHispanic, Black/African American, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Of the total population, 40.8% are non-U.S.-born and 78% of the City’s population speaks a language other than English at home.

The City’s 5th Cycle Housing Element found that the age of homes in the City were the leading indicator of the condition of the building. Due to the high concentration of low-income residents, both homeowners and renters, in the City, many households have not historically had the ability to keep up on necessary maintenance of their homes. The 5th Cycle Housing Element estimated that 600 homes needed rehabilitation. As discussed in the subsection on Substandard Housing Conditions, below, it is estimated that 423 homes are in need of rehabilitation as of 2023. Based on these numbers, there has been a 30% reduction in the number of homes in need of rehabilitation throughout the City since the beginning of the last planning period.

Patterns of Integration and Segregation
During preparation of this Housing Element the City reviewed information pertaining to segregation.

According to the American Community Survey (ACS), approximately 19% of the City’s households are experiencing poverty, compared to 7.9 percent of households in the SCAG region. The areas of the City south of Carson Street report 41% to 60% of its residents living below the poverty level. The 41%-60% range is moderate compared to Los Angeles County.

For the portion of the City north of Carson Street, the poverty level is reported at 21% to 49%.

Based on the City’s poverty rate the City has updated Program 8, Extremely Low-Income Housing, to continue working with the Harbor Regional Center providing housing services. The City will continue Program 6, Section 8 Rental Assistance, and has added a new Program 19, Food Distribution, to ensure that low-income residents receive meals and healthy choices.

In Los Angeles County the Los Angeles County Development Authority manages public housing programs for the City of Hawaiian Gardens and other Gateway cities in the region.

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Public Housing Program, there are no recognized public housing projects in the City of Hawaiian gardens. The City is enrolled in the Section 8 program offered through the State of California and Los Angeles County. Housing Choice Vouchers are issued to recipients who then can find a suitable housing unit, be it a single-family home, townhome, or apartment unit. Location of residential units with vouchers are identified by Census Tract; however, tracts with 10 or fewer voucher holders are not identified. Citywide, in 2021, there were 121 active vouchers managed by the City. There are four Census Tracts in the City of Hawaiian Gardens, and there were voucher recipients reported in all four Census Tracts. As previously discussed, households that exceed the poverty threshold are predominately located south of Carson Street. Poverty also occurs (to a lesser extent) north of Carson Street and extends further north beyond the City limits (see Figure 2.6).

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As previously discussed in Section 2.1 and shown in Figure 2.2, Hawaiian Gardens is a predominately Hispanic/Latino community with Hispanic/Latinos comprising 80% of the City’s residents. The next highest population group is Korean, comprising approximately 10% of the population. The White and Black populations were recorded at less than 5% for each group.

Hawaiian Gardens continues to provide City services in English and Spanish, and Korean when requested; and will continue this practice through Program 24, Public Participation.

The 2020 Census data indicates that the current City of Hawaiian Gardens household size is

3.83 persons per household. Hawaiian Gardens’ female headed households represent 17% of the City’s households (compared to 14.3% in the SCAG region); 4.4% are female-headed and with children (compared to 6.6% in the SCAG region), and 2.7% are female-headed with children under 6 (compared to 1.0% in the SCAG region). With a low vacancy rate of 2.82%, families, including female-headed households, face challenges finding places to live.

The City has included the following programs to encourage construction of additional housing on existing sites, including affordable housing: Program 1, Adequate Sites, Program 3, Affordable Housing Incentives, Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review, Program 5, Density Bonus Program, Program 7, Non-Profit Housing Partnership, Program 15, Accessory Dwelling Units, Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and Supportive Housing, Program 26, Single Room Occupancy, Program 27, Zone District Densities Update, Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust, Program 29, Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units, Program 30, Permit Streamlining, Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, Program 33, Mixed-Use Zones, Program 34, Inclusionary Ordinance, Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone, and Program 36, City-Owned Parcel Affordability Requirements.

Access to Opportunity
Education Resources
According to the US Census 62.1% of persons aged 25 years and greater have graduated from high school, and 12.8% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Both the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the ABC Unified School District provide services in English and Spanish. The School District also offers immersion programs for the City’s students. The ABC Unified School District provides bus transportation for students residing in the City of Hawaiian Gardens.

As previously discussed in Section 2.1, Population and Demographics, and as shown in Figure

2.3, Education Opportunity, (and shown again below for reference) the entire City is designated as having an education outcome rating of 0.25 to 0.50, with 0 being the lowest and 1 being the highest rating. There were no education related comments received from the community during the public outreach process.

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Figure 2.3 – Education Opportunity

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Transportation Resources
The transportation system in Hawaiian Gardens consists of a roadway network dominated by Carson Street running in an east/west direction, and Pioneer and Norwalk Boulevards running north/south. The San Gabriel Valley Freeway (State Route-605) is located just west of Hawaiian Gardens. Also, the City's central location in Los Angeles County provides Hawaiian Gardens with easy access to most parts of the Southern California region. Local circulation within the City generally follows a grid pattern.

Regional access to the city is provided by the San Gabriel Valley Freeway (I-605) that extends along the city's southwesterly border. Access to this freeway is provided by Pioneer Boulevard and Carson Street. The transportation system framework within Hawaiian Gardens is largely defined by Norwalk Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard which are major north/south arterials that extends through the city. Carson Street is a primary east/west roadway.

Transit. The City of Hawaiian Gardens is reasonably well-served by public transit systems.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTS), the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Long Beach Transit (LBT), operate routes that extend into or through the City of Hawaiian Gardens (as shown below in Figure 2.26). Specifically, the intersection of Carson St. and Norwalk Blvd. is served by Metro Route 62, Long Beach Transit Routes 101, 102, 104, 173, and 191, and OCTA Route 42. LACMTA buses provide a connection to Metrolink service in Fullerton. LBT buses provide connections to the Metro C (Green) Line in Norwalk and the Metro A (Blue) Line in Long Beach. All buses are ADA accessible, and many have bicycle racks. Peak headways are typically 15 minutes.

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Figure 2.26 Major Transit Stops

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Bicycle Facilities. The General Plan Circulation Element also includes a plan for incorporating bicycle facilities as part of the City’s overall circulation network. Bicycle lanes and bicycle routes are provided on Civic Center Drive within the City of Hawaiian Gardens. In addition to the City’s on-street bike system, the Coyote Creek Bikeway provides a regional trail system for avid bicycle enthusiasts. Depending on the scope of the development project and existing conditions, bicycle facilities could also be required as part of the street improvements. The City is hiring a consultant to complete a Master Plan for bike lanes.

This Housing Element includes Program 31, Place-Based Mobility and Strategies, to implement bike mobility infrastructure City-wide and specifically in areas with higher poverty rates. There were no public transportation related comments received from the community during the public outreach process.

Employment Proximity
The 2020 Census notes that nearly 18% of Hawaiian Gardens workers 16 years of age and older have a travel time of 30-34 minutes to work and 23% travel 35 minutes and greater to work (see Figure 2.27 below). In a City of 0.9 square mile, nearly built out, this data indicates that many of Hawaiian Gardens’ workers commute outside the City’s boundaries. The dominant mode of transportation for workers is a car.

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Figure 2.27 Jobs Proximity

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Environmental Health
In 2021, the California Office for Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (COEHHA) released the fourth version of Cal EnviroScreen, a tool that uses environmental health, and socioeconomic indicators to map and compare a community’s environmental scores. As shown in Figure 2.28, CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Score, in the four census tracts in the City, the percentages were: 60%-70% northeast quadrant, 70%-80% in the northwest and southeast quadrants, and 90% in the southwest quadrant. A community within the 75th percentile or above, is one with higher levels of pollution and other negative environmental indicators and is considered a disadvantaged community. Hawaiian Gardens is in an area where the ambient noise levels are relatively high. This is mainly due to the proximity to Los Angeles basin transportation corridors. The San Gabriel freeway (I-605) runs along the western boundary of the City and carries appreciable volumes of both truck and commuter traffic. Other primary arterials, including Carson Street, Norwalk Boulevard, and Pioneer Boulevard also experience high average daily traffic levels. Although there is not much the City can do regarding proximity to the San Gabriel freeway, and local arterials serving surrounding communities, the City’s implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines regarding construction and new development, can begin to mitigate some of the environmental impacts of pollution within the City.

Additionally, as indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), the residents also face issues associated with noise and trash, which continue to contribute to the City’s negative environmental health indicators. To ensure residents throughout the City have access to positive environmental conditions, the City will continue to require code compliance through Program 10, Pre-Sale Inspection, and its improved code enforcement program (see Program 9, Code Enforcement). The City will also continue to provide home improvement assistance for existing households through Program 11, City Beautification (which can include financing for new windows, new roofs, and insulation).

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Figure 2.28 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Score

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Disproportionate Housing Need and Displacement Risk
Overcrowding
Overcrowding in the City of Hawaiian Gardens is a significant issue. There are three distinct areas of overcrowding in the City based on household information and census tract data. In the northeast quadrant of the City (east of Norwalk Boulevard and north of Carson Street), the percentage of overcrowded households is within the 0%-20% range. In the northwest quadrant (bordered by Norwalk Boulevard to the east and Carson Street to the south) the percentage of overcrowded households is in the 15%-20% range. The areas of the City south of Carson Street are within the 20%-100% range of overcrowded households. Based on this information the percentage of overcrowded households varies throughout the City and is not concentrated in one specific place.

In Hawaiian Gardens, 263 owner-occupied and 512 renter-occupied households had more than 1.01-1.5 persons per room, which meets the definition for overcrowding. Sixty-seven (67) owner-occupied households and 285 renter-occupied households had more than 1.5 occupants per room, which meets the definition for severe overcrowding. The rate of overcrowding in Hawaiian Gardens is higher than neighborhoods in the surrounding cities of Long Beach, Lakewood, and Cypress.

To improve overcrowding conditions, the City has amended Program 15, Accessory Dwelling Units, and added Program 26, Single Room Occupancy Units and Program 29, Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units, to encourage construction of a variety of housing types to increase availability of housing at a range of sizes and to reduce displacement risk due to unit size for all residents. Additionally, the City has added Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT), which will provide an additional source of financing for more affordable housing in the City, Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, to provide funding for permanent supportive housing development in the City, and Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone, to allow affordable housing development on church properties.

Collectively, these programs will address overcrowding issues by providing more affordable housing, including permanent supportive housing, in the City (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Additionally, as indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), City residents are also concerned with overcrowding conditions, specifically in rental properties. For instance, one community member stated that “There are too many renters as it is. Promote home ownership. For home owners who are renting their house, impose a limit of how many people can live in a single family house. 1 bedroom=3 people 2 bedroom=4 people 3 bedroom = 6 people. Require garages for cars.

Parking permits for residents only.” Another resident stated “There are too many renters. Nonresident homeowners who let obscene amount of people rent their single-family homes.” Primarily, residents are concerns with the impacts of renting smaller units to larger families, such as parking in yards or on sidewalks. To address these concerns, the City has revised Program 9, Code Enforcement, to implement a more active code enforcement program to

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ensure complaints are addressed in a timely manner and landlords are held accountable for violations on their properties.

Overpaying
As shown in the Tables in Chapter 2, renters and homeowners are overpaying for housing throughout the City. According to the SCAG Pre-certified data, 57% of the City's households (2,247 households) are severely overpaying for housing and spend 30% or more of gross income on housing. Additionally, 39% of renter households (869) spend 50% or more of gross income on housing costs. Additionally, as indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), City residents are very concerned with housing affordability, specifically for younger persons who may not be able to afford housing in the community they grew up in, and therefore, are forced to move out of the City.

The City has included several programs in this Housing Element to provide more affordable housing options during the planning period. Program 2, Lot Consolidation, and Program 3, Affordable Housing Incentives, are included to target investment in developing a variety of housing choices. Program 6, Section 8 Rental Assistance, provides financial assistance with housing payments, and Program 15, Accessory Dwelling Units and Program 29, Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units, to provide housing mobility opportunities on existing nonvacant residential parcels. Additionally, Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT), provides the City with a mechanism to fund affordable housing projects in the City, and Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, provides funding for permanent supportive housing development in the City. Finally, Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone, allows affordable housing development on church properties.

Collectively, these programs will address overpaying issues by providing more affordable housing, including permanent supportive housing, in the City (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Substandard Housing Conditions
In addition to the issues of overcrowding and overpaying, housing condition can present a safety concern for residents living in substandard housing in need of repairs. Over half of the City’s housing stock was built prior to 1970. Three of the four apartment communities were constructed in the early 1970’s and the fourth apartment community was constructed in 1990.

The Lakewood Mobile Estates was developed in 1962 and the Bloomfield Mobile Home Park was developed in 1970. Because of the age of the homes, apartments, and the two mobile home parks, it can be assumed that at least some low-income households in the City are living in substandard conditions. Specifically, according to the City’s Code Enforcement Department, there are approximately 423 units in need of rehabilitation. As previously discussed in Section

2.4, the City conducted a preliminary windshield survey of residential neighborhoods in each quadrant to evaluate the existing housing stock and determined that there are no specific neighborhoods in the City that have a higher number of units in need of repair or replacement.

The City also determined that the code violation and housing condition issues generally consisted of deteriorating materials (e.g., roofs, paint, windows), chain link fencing, trash, unmaintained landscaping, and parking in unpermitted areas.

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The City has a number of programs to ensure continued preservation and maintenance of housing units in the City and provision of safe housing for City residents. The City’s active code enforcement division responds to complaints, including maintenance and safety concerns. Through these code enforcement efforts, the City will continue to follow up with landlords to ensure repairs are made so the unit can be occupied. The City has a Beautification Program (Program 11) which provides loans for exterior and interior improvements. Specifically, Program 11 requires the City to assist all income households, with priority given to lower-income households to address building code and zoning violations, remove security bars from windows, improve energy efficiency and conservation, and bring properties into compliance with the Municipal Code by dispersing grants to residents that range from $3,000 to $25,000.

The City also has an active Pre-Inspection program whereby the City inspects a home prior to sale of the home, for any code violations, and provides resources to assure completion of improvements and code compliance (Program 10). Furthering the City’s commitment to preservation, maintenance, and safety in the provision of housing for all residents, the City has amended Program 14, Energy Conservation, and added Program 20, Housing Conditions Survey.

Additionally, as indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), City residents are heavily concerned with increasing code violations, specifically related to trash, noise, and parking. As specified in Program 9, Code Enforcement, the City shall comply with AB 838 to ensure that code complaints are properly addressed in a timely manner. Additionally, Program 9 requires the City to implement a code enforcement progress program to target the neighborhoods that receive the most code violation complaints and ensure that code enforcement officers take the necessary actions (e.g., warning letter, fine) to ensure the violation is corrected. The revised Program 9 will maintain an adequate records of code violations and current housing conditions, ensure that property owners are accountable for keeping their properties up to code, and substantially reduce the number of code violations in the City during the planning period (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Unhoused Population
As indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), City residents are concerned about the homelessness population in the City. For instance, one resident commented ““Housing for low income multi families and assistance for the homeless or those living in an RV/campers. It’s become a problem having homelessness and instead of trying to chase them away maybe provide them with a clean space to sleep or a small homeless community we’ll be able to help them.” As discussed previously, the City is less than 1 square mile and is reported to have 29 unsheltered persons (see Section 2.1). Unhoused persons generally reside in commercial areas along Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard, which extend throughout the entire City.

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As discussed previously, the City is well served by public transit systems, specifically along Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard. The intersection of Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard is served by Metro Route 62, Long Beach Transit Routes 101, 102, 104, 173, and 191, and OCTA Route 42. LACMTA buses provide a connection to Metrolink service in Fullerton. LBT buses provide connections to the Metro Green Line in Norwalk and the Metro Blue Line in Long Beach. As part of Housing Element Program 18, the City will continue to work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) during the planning period to ensure that unhoused persons are provided with the services they need, such as offering temporary sheltering at a nearby regional shelter. Additionally, as part of Programs 18 and 32, the City is committed to providing local housing for people experiencing homelessness and reduce its homeless population during the planning period. As such, unhoused persons in the City have adequate access to transportation and supportive services during the planning period.

However, given the City’s location between Los Angeles and Orange County and the transient nature of homelessness, it is impossible to capture an accurate estimate of the homeless population in the City. Regardless of the projected numbers of the homeless population in the City, the City also understands that homelessness is a regional issue that should also be addressed with regional solutions.

To address the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the City and region, the City added Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and Supportive Housing¸ which requires the City to work collaboratively with neighboring cities to provide short-term (e.g., shelters) and longterm (e.g., permanent supportive housing) solutions to effectively reduce the homeless population in the City and region. Program 18 also incentivizes homeowners to rent ADUs to households with vouchers.

Additionally, this 6th Cycle Housing Element includes new Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT), and new Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, to provide additional funding mechanisms for affordable housing, including permanent supportive housing, in the City. Specifically, Program 32 requires the City to apply for Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds from the Los Angeles County Development Authority for acquisition of sites suitable for Permanent Supportive Housing, and to make that site available to affordable housing developers (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Displacement Risk
Displacement occurs when a household is no longer able to remain in their home for any number of reasons. There are several indicators of displacement risk that include overcrowding, overpayment, and substandard housing conditions. Other key indicators include an increase in home prices and rents, low vacancy rates, and wage increase that are less than home price increases. According to SCAG, between 2000 and 2018 median home sales prices in Hawaiian Gardens increased 186% while prices in the SCAG region increased 151%. The rising cost of housing in Hawaiian Gardens is reflective of trends in the SCAG region and

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throughout California, and increases the risk of displacement for residents, particularly lowerincome households. While housing costs have risen in recent years, wages have not kept pace. These trends indicate growing unaffordability of housing in Hawaiian Gardens that may prevent low-income households from remaining in their homes over time.

Additionally, as indicated in the Community Survey and Housing Needs Assessment Survey responses (see Appendices A and B), City residents are concerned with the rising housing costs in the City, which is a common issue in Southern California. For instance, one resident commented “Affordable single family homes so youth that want to stay in the City can afford to stay and contribute to their city to make it better rather than pushing them away.” To address affordability challenges and reduce displacement risk, the City includes Program 15, Accessory Dwelling Units, Program 6, Section 8 Housing Assistance, Program 26, Single Room Occupancy Units, Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT), Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, Program 33, Mixed-Use Zones, and Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone. These programs are in addition to Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review, which requires the City to amend parking requirements and development standards to achieve maximum densities specified in Program 27 and reduce government constraints on affordable housing production (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Enforcement and Outreach Capacity
The City enforces fair housing and complies with fair housing laws and regulation through a twofold process: review of City policies and code for compliance with State law and referring fair housing complaints to appropriate agencies. The City will continue to review the Zoning Code (Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review) to ensure compliance with fair housing law, and continue to examine land use policies, permitting practices, and building codes to comply with state and federal fair housing laws.

In addition to assessing fair housing issues related to development standards, fair housing issues can also include discriminatory behaviors by landlords such as refusal to grant reasonable accommodation requests, not allowing service animals, discrimination against familial status, sex, religion, or other protected class, and more. The City has modified Program 9, Code Enforcement, to address the requirements of AB 838, which ensures that landlords are responsible for correcting code violations on their properties.

As discussed in Section 1.7, Service Provider Outreach, the City met with Housing Rights Center (HRC) to identify fair housing issues in the City and discuss potential solutions.

According to the HRC, fair housing issues in the City and region include rent increases, evictions, relocation, substandard housing conditions, and discrimination. As part of Program 12, Fair Housing, the City will continue to work with the HRC to provide fair housing counseling, discrimination/investigation, and education services to all City residents, including landlords and tenants participating in the Public Housing Authority’s Section 8 program.

Specifically, the City will increase its outreach efforts to educate residents on fair housing issues and services. For example, as required by Program 24, Public Participation, the City is

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required to participate in at least one communitywide event (e.g., Hawaiian Gardens Carnival) per year of the planning period. At this event, the City is required to set up an informational table with fair housing representatives to distribute educational materials about fair housing services available to residents who are experiencing fair housing issues, with the first event occurring in 2024. Additionally, this outreach event will provide educational materials about the City’s Code Enforcement process so that tenants and landlords can better address substandard housing conditions.

The City will also meet with other cities in the region who have implemented policies to address fair housing issues (e.g., eviction, discrimination, rent increases) by the end of 2024.

The City will use information obtained during this outreach process to create feasible policies to implement in the City by the end of 2025.

As discussed in Section 1.7, Service Provider Outreach, the City met with PATH LA to identify the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the portion of the County that includes Hawaiian Gardens. According to PATH LA, the primary need for the homeless population in the City is more long-term housing solutions (e.g., rental housing). As part of Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and Supportive Housing, the City will create a program to provide incentives to property owners who waive standard requirements (e.g., income and credit requirements) to people with rental subsidies.

Additionally, PATH LA recommends that short-term housing (e.g., shelters) and long-term housing (e.g., rental housing) incorporate creative design solutions (e.g., tiny homes, fly away homes) that blend into the existing visual character of the community and can be constructed faster than larger shelters and rental housing developments. As part of Program 18, the City will meet with neighboring cities that have experienced success with investing in creative design solutions to provide short-term and long-term housing to assess the City’s ability to incorporate creative design solutions in Hawaiian Gardens.

Additionally, as specified in Program 18, the City will work with the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority to reach out to the homeless to offer temporary sheltering at a regional shelter which serves Hawaiian Gardens homeless. Program 18 also requires the City to meet with neighboring cities, such as Lakewood, Cypress, and Long Beach, to discuss collaborative solutions to provide more short-term and long-term housing to effectively reduce the homeless population in the City and surrounding communities. Additionally, Program 18 requires the City to work with the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, PATH LA, and neighboring cities to provide people in shelters with supportive services and programs (e.g., medical, addiction, senior, veteran, mental health). Finally, to ensure that the City addresses the needs of unhoused individuals during the planning period, Program 18 incentivizes homeowners to rent their ADUs to households with vouchers.

Ultimately, through the implementation of Program 18, the City and region will provide more short-term and long-term housing for the homeless population in the City and surrounding cities. As previously discussed in Section 1.7, Service Provider Outreach, when homeless people are relocated outside of their familiar communities, which often occurs with the

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scattered site model, they are more likely to return to the streets of their desired community.

Therefore, the City can more effectively reduce homelessness in the City by providing more short-term and long-term housing for the homeless population in the City.

Sites Inventory
Residential land uses account for nearly 60% of the total land area in the City, and the second largest land use, commercial, makes up 23% of the land area. The residential land area is predominately zoned for medium density residential (R-2), with the majority of housing in this zone district located south of Carson Street. There some pockets of single-family zone districts located north of Carson Street and the four apartment communities are located in the northwest, northeast, and southeast. The two mobile home parks are located in the southeast quadrant adjacent to Coyote Creek.

Opportunities for new development on vacant sites is limited due to the scarcity of vacant sites in the City. The predominance of single-family homes in the medium density zone district has resulted in a lack of variety for housing opportunities.

As summarized in Table 2.13 below, the City’s primary fair housing issues is displacement risk due to economic pressures, disproportionate access to services, environmental hazards, and a lack of a variety in housing types to meet a range of needs and incomes. As required by AB 686, this Housing Element includes programs to remedy fair housing issues during the planning period to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH) (see Table 2.13 for programs to address fair housing issues). Additionally, as required by AB 686, the City is required to identify locations for affordable housing in a way that affirmatively furthers fair housing. To address this requirement, the City must evaluate the impact of where it plans to locate lowerincome units and assess whether or not there is any isolation of the RHNA and if the location of units exacerbates or improves existing fair housing issues.

The City’s lower-income RHNA for this 6th Cycle Housing Element is 105 units, with 61 combined units for the very low- and extremely low-income categories and 44 units for the lowincome category (see Table 2.7). As later discussed in Chapter 5, the City anticipates the development of affordable housing, mixed-income housing, and the construction of ADUs to achieve its lower-income RHNA during the planning period. Specifically, to meet its lowerincome RHNA, the City anticipates the development of 78 ADUs and 102 combined units within its Site Inventory properties (see Table 5.2).
. The City can be divided into 4 quadrants of the City, with Quadrant 1 located north of Carson Street and west of Norwalk Boulevard, Quadrant 2 located north of Carson Street and east of Norwalk Boulevard, Quadrant 3 located south of Carson Street and west of Norwalk Boulevard, and Quadrant 4 located south of Carson Street and east of Norwalk Boulevard.

Due to the small size and built out nature of the City, the City was limited in its ability to identify sites that would likely be redeveloped with multi-family housing during the planning period. The City’s four quadrants are predominately developed with residential uses, causing the City to focus on its commercial corridors located along Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard to find housing opportunities to accommodate its RHNA. Quadrant 2 contains 4 out of the 6 sites

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identified for housing to accommodate the City’s RHNA, Quadrants 1 and 3 each contain 1 site, and Quadrant 4 contains 0 sites.

As shown on Figure 2.29, Quadrant 2 contains the most lower-income units (83 units or 80 percent), Quadrant 1 contains 16 units or 16 percent of the lower-income units, Quadrant 3 contains 4 units or 4 percent of the lower-income units, and Quadrant 4 contains 0 lowerincome units. Similar to the distribution of lower-income units, Quadrant 2 also contains the more moderate and above-moderate units than the other quadrants. The higher number of lower-income and moderate-income units in Quadrant 2 is due to this quadrant containing the most sites identified for housing to accommodate the City’s RHNA.

As shown in Figure 2.29 below, affordable housing sites and mixed-income sites are located near transit corridors Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard. Additionally, potential ADU sites encompass the City’s residentially-zoned parcels located primarily south of Carson Street, which are primarily built out with single-family neighborhoods, providing housing mobility opportunities for lower-income residents. Although there is a higher concentration of lowerincome units in the City’s Quadrant 2, this area has adequate access to transit. As previously discussed, the City is reasonably well-served by public transit systems. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTS), the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Long Beach Transit (LBT), operate routes that extend into or through the City. Specifically, the intersection of Carson St. and Norwalk Blvd., which is the closest intersection to the sites located in Quadrant 2, is served by Metro Route 62, Long Beach Transit Routes 101, 102, 104, 173, and 191, and OCTA Route 42. LACMTA buses provide a connection to Metrolink service in Fullerton (see Figure 2.26). LBT buses provide connections to the Metro C (Green) Line in Norwalk and the Metro A (Blue) Line in Long Beach. All buses are ADA accessible, and many have bicycle racks. Peak headways are typically 15 minutes.

Additionally, due to the small size of the City (less than 1 square mile), the households that will inhabit the lower-income units in the City’s Quadrant 2 have a similar level of access to opportunity as residents City-wide.

The existing housing stock in each quadrant in the City is more than 50 percent affordable to lower-income residents according to 2022 American Community Survey data. As such, the increase in lower-income units during the planning period in this area of the City will not result in a substantial concentration of poverty.

Overall, the City will affirmatively further fair housing by providing affordable housing along transit corridors and permitting ADU development within the City’s single-family neighborhoods.

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Figure 2.29 Sites Inventory and AFFH
Quadrant 1:

Lower-income: 16 units
Moderate-income:66 units
Quadrant 2:

Lower-income: 82 units
Moderate-income:177 units
Quadrant 3:

Lower-income: 4 units
Moderate-income:13 units
Quadrant 4:

Lower-income: 0 units
Moderate-income:0 units
Carson Street
Norwalk Blvd.

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Contributing Factors
Through the outreach program and discussions with community members and service providers, several factors were identified that contribute to fair housing issues in Hawaiian Gardens. Table 2.13 identifies contributing factors and level of priority.

Table 2.13 Contributing Factors and Meaningful Actions
AFH Identified
Fair Housing Issues
Contributing Factors and
Priority Level Meaningful Actions
Displacement risk for
residents due to economic
pressures.

Limited affordable ownership
and rental options. High
Priority.

Encourage the development of Affordable Housing
units in the City:
• Program 2, Promote Lot Consolidation
• Program 3, Affordable Housing Incentives
• Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review
• Program 5, Density Bonus Program
• Program 15: Accessory Dwelling Units
• Program 26: Single Room Occupancy
• Program 27, Zone Districts Density Update
• Program 28: Join the Gateway Cities Affordable
Housing Trust (GCAHT)
• Program 29, Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units
• Program 30, Permit Streamlining
• Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing
• Program 33, Mixed-Use Zones
• Program 34, Inclusionary Ordinance
• Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone
• Program 36, City-Owned Parcel Affordability
Requirements
Disproportionate access to
services.

Historic patterns of
segregation resulting in
predominate non-English
speaking population, causing
language barriers, which can
present challenges to
accessing resources and
racial discrimination in lending
practices. High Priority.

Historic patterns of
disinvestment in public
infrastructure (roadways,
schools, utility delivery)
resulting in poor traffic
conditions, educational
resources, and housing
conditions. Medium Priority.

Overall lack of regional
cooperation. Medium Priority.

Continue bilingual programs for all City services and
communications:
• Program 24, Public Participation
Continue working with the local schools to support
bilingual programs:
• Program 24, Public Participation
Distribute progress surveys at communitywide
events to monitor effectiveness of Programs to
affirmatively further fair housing
• Program 24, Public Participation
Continue the City’s Fair Housing Services Program
to educate residents on and ensure compliance with
fair housing policies.
• Program 12, Fair Housing
Implement place-based strategies to improve public
infrastructure.
• Program 31, Place-Based Mobility and Strategies
Program

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AFH Identified
Fair Housing Issues
Contributing Factors and
Priority Level Meaningful Actions
Ensure that utility providers have capacity to serve
new residential development:
• Program 21, Infrastructure Availability
Reduce absentee landlords to ensure rental
properties comply with applicable code
requirements:
• Program 9, Code Enforcement
Promote regional cooperation to increase equitable
access to services:
• Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and
Supportive Housing
• Program 28, Join the Gateway Cities Affordable
Housing Trust (GCAHT)
Ensure access to housing opportunities for
extremely low-income households, including
unhoused persons:
• Program 6, Section 8 Rental Assistance
• Program 7, Non-Profit Housing Partnership
• Program 8, Extremely Low-Income Housing
• Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and
Supportive Housing
• Program 22, Low Barrier Navigation Centers
• Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing
• Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone
• Program 36, City-Owned Parcel Affordability
Requirements
Environmental Hazards
Historic patterns of
disinvestment in public
infrastructure (roadways)
resulting in traffic issues and
air pollution issues. Medium
Priority.

Implement place-based strategies to improve public
infrastructure.
• Program 31, Place-Based Mobility and Strategies
Program
Promote safe housing conditions related to
environmental hazards.
• Program 9, Code Enforcement
• Program 10, Pre-Sale Inspection
• Program 11, City Beautification
• Program 20, Housing Conditions Survey
Lack of a variety in housing
types to meet a range of
needs and incomes.

Dominance of single-family
development and lack of
available land for additional
residential development. High
Priority.

Promote multi-family development and mixed-use
development:
• Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review
• Program 27, Zone Districts Densities Update
• Program 33, Mixed-Use Zones
• Program 35, Religious Institution Housing Zone
Encourage construction of ADUs (including garage
conversions):

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AFH Identified
Fair Housing Issues
Contributing Factors and
Priority Level Meaningful Actions
• Program 15, Accessory Dwelling Units
• Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and
Supportive Housing.

Encourage construction of Single Room Occupancy
units
• Program 26, Single Room Occupancy
Encourage the development of Permanent
Supportive Housing
• Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing
Encourage construction of Cottage/Carriage
Dwellings
• Program 29, Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units

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3 REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT

AND SPECIAL NEEDS

3.1 REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION (RHNA), 2021 - 2029 California housing element law (Calif. Govt. Code §§ 65580-65589.11) requires every city and county in the State to provide for their “fair share” of the projected future housing needs in the region in which they are located, as determined by the regional Council of Governments or directly by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Hawaiian Gardens lies under the jurisdiction of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), which allocates the regional housing needs for southern California jurisdictions, based upon an overall regional housing need number established by HCD.

Housing needs are based upon a combination of factors, including regional population growth, existing employment, employment growth, affordability, transit proximity, and demographic characteristics. The corresponding Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is a minimum projection of the number of new housing units needed for all income levels during the forthcoming eight-year planning period to support that growth.

SCAG has determined that Hawaiian Gardens’ RHNA is 331 units for the 2021-2029 planning period.

RHNA Methodology
SCAG allocates units according to a mathematical equation that incorporates weighted factors to balance housing needs to projected local population/household and employment growth.

For example, if one of the factors, e.g., household growth, is determined to be more important that another factor, e.g., transit, household growth is assigned a higher weight than transit.

Alternatively, these factors can be equally weighted, depending on a jurisdiction’s characteristics.

The factors and weights assigned to Hawaiian Gardens are:
• Household growth (45%)
• Existing employment (22.5%)
• Employment growth (22.5%)
• Household growth near existing transit (5%)

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The equation may be generally expressed as:

RHNA = (Household Growth x 0.45)
+ (Employment Growth x 0.225)
+ (Existing Employment x 0.225)
+ (Household Growth near Transit x 0.05)
+ (Employment Growth near Transit x 0.05)
Household growth, existing employment, employment growth, and household growth near existing transit are estimated in SCAG’s regional household and employment forecasts. A jurisdiction’s share of the regional housing need is assigned accordingly to its percentage share of these factors.

After determining the housing need, SCAG establishes a number of rules to determine the allocation of units by income. The broad concept is that local jurisdictions must plan for income-based housing relative to the regional average. The income-allocation scenarios give each jurisdiction 175% of the difference between their 2020 household income distribution and the 2020 regional household income distribution. An “adjustment factor” is then applied to determine housing unit allocation in each income category.

The housing needs are categorized according to the following income groups:
• Extremely Low-Income households are those whose income is 30% or less than that of the median household income for the greater Los Angeles area; • Very Low-Income households are those whose income does not exceed 50% of the median household income for the greater Los Angeles area; • Low-Income households earn from 51% to 80% of the median; • Moderate-Income households earn from 81% to 120% of the median; and, • Above Moderate households earn more than 120% of the median income.

Hawaiian Gardens’ ‘Fair Share’ of Regional Housing Needs As stated above, SCAG has allocated 331 units to Hawaiian Gardens for the eight-year, 6th Cycle Planning Period. Table 3.1 below illustrates the distribution of units for the 6th Cycle.

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Table 3.1 RHNA 6th Cycle – October 2021-October 2029
Income Category Minimum New
Units Needed Percentages
Very Low-Income Households 61 18.4%
Low-Income Households 44 13.29%
Moderate Income Households 46 13.89%
Above Moderate-Income Households 180 54.38%
Total Needed-Future Housing for 6th Cycle 331 100%
Source: Southern California Association of Governments
Pending and Approved Projects
The City will receive credit towards the current RHNA only for the new housing that is entitled, under construction, or built beginning in 2021. The City approved several new housing developments that are currently in the development process, which are summarized in Table

3.2 below.

Table 3.2 Pending and Approved Projects
Address Units Type Income Group Status Completion Date
21821 Hawaiian Avenue 18 For-sale
condos Above Moderate Approved 2025
12329 214th Street 5 Apartments Above Moderate Construction 2024 22001 Claretta Street 6 Single Family Above Moderate Construction 2024 12146 214th Street 1 Single Family Above Moderate Approved 2025 22022 Pioneer Blvd. 3 Single Family Above Moderate Approved 2025 22002 Hawaiian Avenue 8 Apartments Above Moderate Approved 2025 Total Units 41
Source: Hawaiian Gardens Community Development Department With the above projects, the City is able to receive credit for 41 units towards the current RHNA for above moderate-income households. At this time, there are no other residential projects that are undergoing the City’s review process for construction during the planning period.

What the RHNA Numbers Mean
The RHNA numbers function as targets for jurisdictions to achieve during the eight-year planning period. Because local jurisdictions are rarely, if ever, involved in the actual construction of housing units, and housing construction is driven by market demands, sometimes it is not possible for a jurisdiction to meet housing its RHNA targets. HCD does not penalize jurisdictions for not meeting RHNA targets, if they have allocated enough land by General Plan and zoning designations for constructing units, and have made a good-faith effort implementing housing policies and programs.

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3.2 SPECIAL HOUSING NEEDS
In addition to the general housing needs of the population, cities and counties must plan for the special housing needs of certain groups. For the Housing Element, Government Code §65583(a)(6) requires that several populations with special needs be addressed: persons with disabilities; people who are homeless; female-headed households; large households; seniors; overcrowded households; and farmworker households. To meet the needs of these groups, the City of Hawaiian Gardens must be creative and look to new ways of increasing the supply, diversity, and affordability of this specialized housing stock.

Persons with Disabilities in Hawaiian Gardens
The most recent American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year survey (2021), indicates that Hawaiian Gardens has a total of 1,188 residents with a disability who are not institutionalized (or 8.4 percent of the City’s population). Additionally, the ACS survey indicates that most of the residents with disabilities (742 residents) are 65 years or older. Figure 3.1, Residents with Disabilities indicates the number of residents in Hawaiian Gardens that comprise each disability category, with ambulatory being the disability category that comprises the most residents (939 residents or 6.6 percent of the City’s population). Figure 3.2, Disability by Type, indicates that the largest disability type represented among seniors with disabilities in the City is also ambulatory. Ambulatory disability means that the resident can walk, is not bedridden, but may have trouble with walking and needs assistance such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair. The smallest class of disability type identified among residents is vision.

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Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates.

Figure 3.1 Residents with Disabilities

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Developmental Disabilities
The term developmental disability refers to a severe and chronic disability attributable to a mental or physical impairment, such as:
(1) cerebral palsy (a disability resulting from damage to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth and outwardly manifested by muscular incoordination and speech disturbances);
(2) epilepsy (any of various disorders marked by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain and typically manifested by sudden brief episodes of altered or diminished consciousness, involuntary movements, or convulsions); or (3) autism (a developmental disorder that typically appears by age three and that is variable in expression but is recognized and diagnosed by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns especially as exhibited by a preoccupation with repetitive activities of restricted focus rather than with flexible and imaginative ones that begins before individuals reach adulthood.
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mplusdictionary.html) The California Department of Developmental Services provides data on developmental disabilities by age and type of residence. These data are collected at the zip-code level and were joined to the jurisdiction-level by SCAG. Counts below 11 individuals are unavailable and some entries were not matched to a zip code necessitating approximation.

In the City of Hawaiian Gardens, 146 persons with developmental disabilities were identified as residing in the home of parents, family, or guardians; 5 resided in independent or supportive living; and 5 in foster or family homes. In the City, 156 persons with developmental disabilities were identified as 0 – 17 years of age, and 90 persons were 18 years or older. Therefore, the data indicates that most persons with developmental disabilities are children who live with a family member or guardian. However, during the planning period, some of these children will become adult-aged and will need access to housing and services serving the City’s adult-aged disabled population.

Housing Constraints on Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities in Hawaiian Gardens face unique problems in obtaining affordable and adequate housing. This segment of the population, which includes individuals with mental, physical, and developmental disabilities need affordable, conveniently located housing which, where necessary, has been specially adapted for wheelchair accessibility, along with other physical needs. The living arrangements for persons with disabilities depend on the severity of the disability. Many persons live at home in an independent environment with the help of other family members.

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To maintain independent living, disabled persons may require assistance. This can include special housing design features for the physically disabled, income support for those who are unable to work, and in-home supportive services for persons with medical conditions.

Additionally, a person with disabilities may live on a fixed- income that may be significantly lower than a non-disabled person. Many disabled individuals live on a small, fixed income which severely limits their ability to pay for housing.

The Task Force on Family Diversity estimates that at least one-third of all persons with disabilities in the United States live in poverty. Persons with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment relative to other groups. Additionally, disabled persons often represent a large percentage of unhoused persons who are in need of emergency shelters and transitional housing. For most, their only source of income is a small, fixed pension afforded by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Social Security Insurance (SSI), or Social Security Old Age and Survivor's Insurance (SSA), which will not adequately cover the cost of rent and living expenses even when shared with a roommate. In addition, persons with disabilities oftentimes experience discrimination in hiring and training. When they find work, it tends to be unstable and at low wages.

Understanding the employment status of people with disabilities may also be an important component in evaluating specialized housing needs. As shown below in Table 3.3, of the City’s disabled population (ages 18-64), 41% is employed, 5% is unemployed, and 53% is not in the labor force. Compared to the non-disabled population (ages 18-64), 73% is employed, 4% is unemployed, and 23% is not in the labor force. Therefore, of the two populations, significantly less disabled persons are in the labor force compared to non-disabled persons, although the percentage of unemployed disabled population is roughly equal to the unemployed nondisabled population. As such, affordability is a major constraint on housing for disabled persons in the City.

Table 3.3 Persons with a Disability in the Workforce
Status With a Disability Percent of Total No Disability Percent of Total Employed 157 41% 6,038 73%
Unemployed 21 5% 343 4%
Not in Labor Force 204 53% 1,900 23%
Total 382 8,281
Source: ACS 2021, Employment Status by Disability Status (Table C18120) Additionally, disabled persons have special needs when it comes to housing design, especially for elderly persons with disabilities. Door frames in the housing units occupied by disabled

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persons must be wider to accommodate wheelchairs, ramps instead of stairs are needed, handrails in bathrooms need to be installed, cabinet doors must be accessible, and light switches and other devices also need to be within easy reach. The cost for retrofitting an existing structure may be thousands of dollars and be beyond the reach of those households with lower incomes. The lack of such housing is even more pronounced when it comes to market-rate rental units.

Senior housing (both owner and rental) generally has many of the features outlined above.

Unless such provisions are made for disabled persons during original construction, such facilities will not likely be provided in a typical rental unit.

Overall, as described above, the main constraints on housing for persons with disabilities are affordability and specialized housing design. Additionally, government constraints including (1) zoning and land use, (2) permits and processing procedures, and (3) building codes may potentially limit housing for disabled persons, as discussed below.

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Zoning and Land Use: Hawaiian Gardens Zoning Code §18.40.070, Uses Permitted in Residential Zones, allows several residential uses that are suitable for persons with special needs:
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)/Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) • Affordable Housing
• Licensed Group Homes
• Single-room Occupancy (subject to minimum number of units per development) • Supportive Housing
• Transitional Housing
• Small Group Homes
However, some uses that provide special-needs housing, such as residential care homes for the elderly, nursing homes, congregate care facilities, boarding houses, and residential community care facilities are subject to discretionary review, requiring either Minor Use Permits (MUPs) or Conditional Use Permits (CUPs). Specifically, the zoning ordinance allows residential care facilities with six or fewer persons in the R-1 through R-4 zones with approval of a minor use permit (MUP), and allows residential care facilities with six or more residents in the R-2 through R-4 zones with approval of a conditional use permit (CUP). As discussed later in Section 4.2, Resources and Constraints on Housing Production, CUPs can be a constraint to housing production because of requirements for public hearings and conditions that can be imposed by the Planning Commission. Subjecting group homes for seven or more persons to a CUP and excluding them from lower density residential zones can be a constraint to housing for persons with disabilities. To address this constraint, Program 4 amends the Zoning Code to remove the MUP requirements to allow for residential care facilities with six or fewer persons by-right as a single family use, and remove the CUP requirement to allow for residential care facilities with seven or more persons by-right in all zones that allow residential uses similar to the residential uses of the same type in the same zone.

Emergency shelters are allowed without discretionary review (by-right) in the General Commercial (C-4) and Public Facilities (PF) zones (see Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing section below for more detail on land use and zoning constraints related to emergency shelters).

Permits and Processing Procedures: There are no special designs or permitting standards that have been established for residential care facilities or housing for disabled persons. The City has no occupancy standards that specifically apply to unrelated adults.

Requests to retrofit homes for disabled accessibility or for reasonable accommodation are handled as any other building permit or variance application. The City of Hawaiian Gardens Zoning Code Section 18.100.190 describes the City’s Reasonable Accommodations procedures. The City provides a procedure to request reasonable accommodation for persons

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with disabilities seeking equal access to housing under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the Federal Fair Housing Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (also known as the Acts) in the application of zoning laws and other land use regulations, policies, and procedures. The application shall be filed with the Community Development Director free of charge, unless a project requires another discretionary permit.

Once filed, the Community Development Director shall make a written decision within 45 days and either approve, approve with conditions and/or modifications, or deny a request for reasonable accommodation in compliance with the factors/findings below. If the request is affiliated with a larger project, other entitlements, then the request is bundled with the entitlements and proceeds to the appropriate decision-making body (Planning Commission or City Council). This expedites the request process, rather than making someone wait until the other entitlements are granted, and then waiting for the accommodation request to process.

The written decision to approve or deny a request for reasonable accommodation shall be consistent with the Acts and shall be based on consideration of all of the following factors/findings:

1. Whether the housing subject of the request will be used by an individual defined as disabled under the Acts;

2. Whether the request for reasonable accommodation is necessary to make specific housing available to an individual with a disability under the Acts;

3. Whether the requested reasonable accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the City;

4. Whether the requested reasonable accommodation would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of a City program or law, including but not limited to land use and zoning;

5. Potential impact on surrounding uses;

6. Physical attributes of the property and structures; and

7. The availability of alternative reasonable accommodations that may provide an equivalent level of benefit.

After reviewing the approval findings, the City determined that approval finding number 5 above should be removed from the approval findings. Program 4, General Plan and Zoning Code Review, will ensure this finding is removed from the Zoning Code.

Building Code: Hawaiian Gardens has adopted the most recent Los Angeles County Code which includes provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. One provision is that a number of the residential units in new multi-family construction of three or more apartments, or four or more condominiums, must be handicap accessible or adaptable for handicap use.

There are no building code restrictions that would limit installing ramps, wider doorways, or other features that would be desirable in special-needs housing.

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Program Responses
The City is required to comply with all State and Federal laws that regulate special housing needs, as identified and discussed below.

In 1984, Title 24 of the State Uniform Building Code mandated that all multiple-family residential construction projects containing more than five units under construction after September 15, 1985, conform to specific disabled adaptability/accessibility regulations.

In 1988, the Federal government enacted the U.S. Fair Housing Act Amendments (FHAA); in part with the intent of increasing the number of rental units being built that would be accessible to handicapped individuals. In July 1993, the State of California issued “California Multifamily Access Requirements” based upon the FHAA. Unfortunately, the actual increase in the number of handicapped-accessible units available on the current rental market has been small.

Both the federal Fair Housing Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act impose an affirmative duty on local governments to make reasonable accommodations (i.e., modifications or exceptions) in their zoning and other land-use regulations when such accommodations may be necessary to afford disabled persons an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

Although Federal and State laws do address special housing needs for disabled populations to some extent, given the current constraints analysis provided above, this Housing Element includes several programs to provide affordable and adequate housing for persons with mental or physical disabilities, including those who represent a percentage of the City’s unhoused and elderly populations. Table 3.4 below identifies each constraint, recommended action to address each constraint, and implementing program.

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Table 3.4 Constraints and Response Summary
Constraint Recommended Action Implementing Program
Affordability Construct affordable units that
promote independent living or
dependent living to address
disabled persons that are able to
live on their own and disabled
persons that are not able to live on
their own.

Program 15, Accessory Dwelling
Units
Program 26, Single Room
Occupancy
Program 29, Cottage/Carriage
Dwellings
Program 35, Mixed-Use Zone
Program 35, Religious Institution
Housing Zone
Specialized Design Features Prioritize funding for rehabilitation projects, which can be used to
install specialized design features,
for disabled households.

Program 11, City Beautification
Zoning and Land Use Remove CUP requirement for
residential care facilities with seven
or more persons.

Update Zoning Code to permit
emergency shelters in residential
zones that allow multi-family uses
(R-2 through R-4) and zones that
allow mixed-use development (C-2
and C-4) pursuant to objective
design standards.

Program 4, General Plan and
Zoning Code Review
Permits and Processing
Procedures
Provide regulatory incentives (such
as expedited permit processing
and fee waivers and deferrals, for
housing projects for disabled
households.

Track and monitor reasonable
accommodation applications to
ensure that procedure and findings
do not put a constraint on persons
with disabilities.

Revise approval finding number 5)
to narrow the definition of “impact”
to relate to the health and safety of
other individuals or substantial
physical damage to the property of
others.

Program 23, Persons with Special
Needs
Provide 17, Disability Access
Program 4, General Plan and
Zoning Code Review

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Building Code Incorporate State disability access
standards and the most current
Los Angeles County Building Code
requirements into new residential
development projects.

Program 17, Disability Access

Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing
The Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) is the primary agency that deals with the issue of homelessness in the City. Members of the Department of Mental Health visit Hawaiian Gardens every Thursday to reach out to individuals experiencing homelessness, to offer temporary sheltering at a regional shelter which services Hawaiian Gardens homeless.

However, most decline and they cannot be forced to enter a shelter. Public safety personnel, both sworn and non-sworn assist the Department of Mental Health with the outreach efforts.

The City has used Los Angeles County, CDBG, General funds, and low-to moderate-income housing funds for Code Enforcement, the Beautification Program, the Small Business grant program, the Senior Activities Programs, the Window Security Bar Removal Program, neighborhood clean ups, and the Food Distribution Program (diapers and feminine supplies are also distributed on separate days). The City also initiated an Emergency Rental Assistance Program to assist those struggling to pay rent during COVID-19. During COVID-19, the City provided vouchers for unsheltered individuals to stay in local hotels. These programs have met with much success and have proven instrumental in assisting those who lost work or suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Programs are ongoing and provide assistance to unsheltered individuals, low income, seniors, and those in need.

In 2020, the City adopted the Public Housing Authority’s (PHA) Five Year and Annual Plan.

The City continued working with the Housing Rights Center to provide fair housing counseling, discrimination/investigation, and education services to all City residents, including landlords and tenants participating in the PHA’s Section 8 Program. The PHA also made available the guide “California Tenants – a Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords Rights and Responsibilities’’ to all its residents.

Emergency Shelters
Currently, emergency shelters are allowed without discretionary review (by-right) in the General Commercial (C-4), and Public Facilities (PF) zones. They are prohibited in the Downtown Commercial (C-2) and Light Industrial (M-1) zones.

Legislation enacted in 2022 requires cities in California to allow emergency shelters in residential and mixed-use areas by-right, without requiring discretionary permits such as minor use permits or conditional use permits (AB 2339 (Bloom), codified in Gov. Code. Section 65583(a)(4)). The legislation is intended to ensure that shelters are provided near health care, transportation, retail, employment, and social services, and are not placed in industrial settings where no such services exist. In the City, health care, transportation, retail, employment, and social services are primarily located along Norwalk Boulevard and Carson Street, which are the City’s main north/south and east/west corridors. As shown later in Figure 4.3, Zoning Map,

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these parcels are mostly zoned as General Commercial (C-4). However, the parcels north of Carson Street along Norwalk Boulevard are primarily zoned Downtown Commercial (C-2), which currently do not allow for the development of emergency shelters. To remove this potential constraint on housing for unhoused persons, Program 4 requires the City to amend its Zoning Code to permit (by-right) emergency shelters in the Downtown Commercial zone pursuant to objective design standards codified in Section 18.70.110 of the City’s Zoning Code. Additionally, to comply with Gov. Code Section 65583(a)(4)), the City will update its Zoning Code to permit emergency shelters in residential zones that allow multi-family uses (R2 through R-4) and zones that allow mixed-use development (C-2 and C-4) pursuant to objective design standards.

Section 18.70.110 of the Municipal Code specifies the following objective regulations/standards for emergency shelters:
• Occupancy. A maximum of 40 beds or persons may be served nightly, with associated support service not available to nonresidents of the emergency shelter/the public. • Hours of Operation. Limited to the hours between 6:00 pm and 8:00 a.m. • Length of Stay. The maximum length of stay is 14 days. • Management and Operation Plan. Each emergency shelter shall always provide on-site supervision.
• Parking. In accordance with the requirements of AB 2339, if the shelter is located within

0.5-mile of a major transit station, parking is not required pursuant to AB 2097. • Waiting and Intake Area. A client waiting and intake area shall be provided and contain a minimum of 10 square feet per bed provided at the facility. The client waiting and intake area shall be physical separated from the public right-of-way. • Sleeping Area. Each emergency shelter shall provide at least 35 square feet of sleeping area per bed.
• Minimum Separation Distance. An emergency shelter shall be located at least 300 feet away from another emergency shelter.

Currently, under existing zoning regulations, the City has sufficient capacity to accommodate at least one emergency shelter pursuant to the development standards specified in Section

18.70.110 of the Municipal Code. The City has identified vacant parcel (APN 7066-017-127) located at the southwest corner of Tilbury Street and Claretta Avenue as a potential site for an emergency shelter. The site is located within the C-4 zone, which allows emergency shelters by-right. This site is a rectangular shaped, approximately 0.55-acre parcel (or 23,958 squarefoot parcel) with residential uses to the north (across Tilbury Street) and northeast (across Claretta Avenue), commercial uses immediately west and south, and commercial uses to the east (across Claretta Avenue). Pursuant to the City’s development standards for emergency shelters, the maximum number of beds permitted is 40 beds with each bed providing approximately 35 square feet of space. To accommodate the maximum number of beds

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permitted, the site would have to be large enough to accommodate a total of 1,400 square feet of bed space. Given that the site is 23,958 square feet, the site is large enough to accommodate the total bed space and other areas within the shelter, including but not limited to the waiting and intake area, administrative office space, and bathrooms.

The site is located 0.27 mile from the intersection of Carson Street and Norwalk Boulevard, which is considered a major transit station pursuant to AB 2097. As such, parking would not be required on the site. The site is located approximately 0.04 mile north of an OCTA bus stop on Carson Street, which provides transit within the City and extends to other cities in the region.

Given that the City currently has 29 unhoused persons, the above analysis demonstrates that the City has sufficient capacity to accommodate homeless residents in the City. As part of Program 18, the City will work with regional partners during the planning period to provide short-term housing (e.g., shelters) in the City and/or neighboring cities to address homelessness in the City.

Supplemental Services. Supplemental services may be offered on the inside of the premises to serve persons only staying at the shelter. Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and Supportive Housing, also requires the City to continue its partnership with LAHSA and work with neighboring cities to continue to provide supplemental services to the homeless.

Transitional and Supportive Housing
State law (AB 2634 and SB 2) requires local jurisdictions to address the provisions for transitional and supportive housing. Transitional and supportive housing facilities meeting the Government Code Section 65582 definition are considered a residential use and allowed by right in all zones that allow residential uses of the same type, consistent with State law. These facilities are subject to the same development standards and permit processing criteria required for similar uses in the same zones.

This Housing Element includes several programs to address transitional and supportive housing needs in the City during the planning period. Program 18, Emergency, Transitional, and Supportive Housing, requires the City to continue its partnership with LAHSA, utilize the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust’s (GCAHT) forthcoming ADU loan program, collaborate with neighboring cities to provide more transitional and supportive housing in the City and/or neighboring cities to address homelessness on a regional level, meet with cities that have had success with using creative design solutions to provide more housing for the homeless. Additionally, Program 32, Permanent Supportive Housing, requires the City to apply for Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program (PLHA) funds from the Los Angeles County Development Authority to acquire a suitable site to provide Permanent Supportive Housing within the City. Once acquired, the site will be made available to affordable housing developers for the development of affordable housing, with a permanent supportive housing component that will provide the necessary units to house the City’s unhoused population in accordance with the most recent Point in Time Count at the time the site is offered to developers for development. With implementation of Programs 18, 32 and 36, the City will be able to adequately accommodate its unhoused population (currently 29 persons) with transitional and

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supportive housing during the planning period (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

Homelessness
Due to the transient nature of the homeless, the precise number of homeless individuals in Hawaiian Gardens is difficult to determine. Few homeless persons have been observed within the City and are generally located along Norwalk Boulevard and Carson Street. The 2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count was conducted by several agencies and led by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released the results of the 2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which showed 66,436 people in Los Angeles County experiencing homelessness. This represents a 12.7% rise from last year’s point-in-time count.

Three years into the 10-year investment from Measure H, LA County’s homeless services system has doubled the number of annual housing placements. Improvements in coordination across agencies through the LAHSA based Housing Central Command have increased the speed of placements. Efforts to protect the most vulnerable people from COVID-19 led to the rapid sheltering of 6,010 people since the March Safer at Home order (4,056 through Project Roomkey, 1,708 in Recreation and Parks shelters, and 246 in trailers)—and a goal to move 15,000 of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness into housing.

Most of the people experiencing homelessness that the homeless system helps stay housed.

Eighty- eight percent of the people placed in permanent housing through the system in 2018 have not returned to homelessness. In 2019, the rehousing system helped 22,769 people move into permanent housing. And many more people occupy interim housing this year:
18,395 people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County were sheltered, up from 14,722 the previous year, a 25% increase.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority February 2022 Point-In-Time Homeless Count identified 29 people identified as experiencing homelessness. Of the 29 unsheltered people,

32.5% (9) were identified as persons in cars, 13.22% (4) as persons in vans, 24.77% (7) as persons in campers, 5% (2) as persons in makeshift shelters, 13.64% (4) as persons in tents, and 10.47% (3) as persons on the street (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Homeless Count by City/Community/Hawaiian Gardens, available at https://www.lahsa.org/data?id=54-homeless-count-by-city-community (accessed February 2, 2023).

As discussed above, this Housing Element includes Programs 4, 18, 32 and 36 to address homelessness in the City through the development of emergency shelters, transitional, and supportive housing during the planning period (see Section 7.2 for program descriptions and quantified goals).

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Female-Headed Households
The California Housing Element Law requires analysis of specialized housing needs, including female-headed households to ensure adequate childcare or job training services. As shown in Figure 3.2 below, of Hawaiian Gardens' 3,712 total households, 17% or 631 households are female-headed (compared to 14.3% in the SCAG region), 9.9% are female-headed and with children (compared to 6.6% in the SCAG region), and 2.7% are female-headed and with children under 6 (compared to 1.0% in the SCAG region).

Female headed households generally refers to those households with a female that is a single parent. Female-headed households tend to have low-incomes, thus limiting housing availability for this group.

To promote the development of housing for female-headed households, Program 23, Persons with Special Needs, requires the City to create and implement a regulatory incentive program that specifies incentives, such as expedited permit processing and fee waivers and deferrals, for projects targeted for persons with special needs including female-headed households by the end of 2024. Additionally, Program 23 requires the City to work with the Harbor Regional Center to create and implement an outreach program by the end of 2024 to inform families within the City of housing and services available for persons with special needs.

Large-Family Households
According to the HCD’s definition, the term "large family" refers to a family containing five or more persons. Large family households, containing five or more persons, frequently experience a greater incidence of overcrowding, especially in older units and rental housing.

Most rental units in the city contain one or two bedrooms. In addition, landlords may be reluctant to rent smaller units to larger families. Finally, many owner-occupied units are Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates.

Figure 3.2 Female-Headed Households

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overcrowded (see Section 2.3) due to extended families sharing housing to reduce mortgage or rental costs.

Large families are identified as a group with special housing needs based on the limited availability of adequately sized, affordable housing units. In the City of Hawaiian Gardens, the most commonly occurring household size is of three people (23.6%) and the second-most commonly occurring household is of two people (18.6%). Hawaiian Gardens has a lower share of single-person households than the SCAG region overall (14.9% vs. 23.4%) and a higher share of 7+ person households than the SCAG region overall (4% vs. 3.1%).

To promote the development of housing for large-family households, Program 23, Persons with Special Needs, requires the City to create and implement a regulatory incentive program that specifies incentives, such as expedited permit processing and fee waivers and deferrals, for projects targeted for persons with special needs including large-family households by the end of 2024. Additionally, Program 23 requires the City to work with the Harbor Regional Center to create and implement an outreach program by the end of 2024 to inform families within the City of housing and services available for persons with special needs. Additionally, large-family households can also include households with one or more relatives living in the same unit (e.g., an older parent, aunt or uncle, or grandparent). The Housing Element includes several programs that promote the development of smaller, affordable units that can address the needs of older relatives and reduce the number of large-family households in the City.

These programs include Program 15 (Accessory Dwelling Units), Program 26 (Single Room Occupancy), and Program 29 (Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units) Source: American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-year estimates.

Figure 3.3 Households by Household Size

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Elderly Households
The Housing and Urban Development Section 202 requires analysis of specialized housing needs, including housing needs for seniors. Federal housing data define a household type as 'elderly family' if it consists of two persons with either or both age 62 or over. Of Hawaiian Gardens' 748 such households, 58.2% earn less than 30% of the surrounding area income, (compared to 24.2% in the SCAG region), 82.9% earn less than 50% of the surrounding area income (compared to 30.9% in the SCAG region).

Escalating housing costs, particularly in the rental market, severely impact housing affordability for the elderly who usually have fixed incomes. The housing needs of the elderly can be addressed through the provision of smaller units, congregate housing, and rental and rehabilitation assistance programs. The special needs of many elderly households often are a result of lower (and fixed) incomes, physical disabilities, and dependence needs.

There are several programs in the Housing Element that promote the development of smaller, affordable units that can address the needs of elderly households, including Program 15 (Accessory Dwelling Units), Program 26 (Single Room Occupancy), and Program 29 (Cottage/Carriage Dwelling Units). Additionally, Program 11, City Beautification, provides funding for rehabilitation projects, which could be used to address specialized needs of elderly households within existing units (e.g., installing ADA accessible features). To help ensure that new construction addresses specialized needs related to accessibility, Program 17 (Disability Access) requires the City to enforce State disability access standards and the most current Los Angeles County Building Code.

Additionally, to promote the development of housing for elderly households, Program 23, Persons with Special Needs, requires the City to create and implement a regulatory incentive program that specifies incentives, such as expedited permit processing and fee waivers and deferrals, for projects targeted for persons with special needs including elderly households by the end of 2024. Additionally, Program 23 requires the City to work with the Harbor Regional Center to create and implement an outreach program by the end of 2024 to inform families within the City of housing and services available for persons with special needs.

Farmworkers
Statewide, farmworker housing is of unique concern and of unique importance. While only a small share of SCAG region jurisdictions has farmworkers living in them, they are essential to the region's economy and food supply. As previously indicated in Table 2.4, that there are 19 farmworkers identified in the City of Hawaiian Gardens which represents 0.31% of the City’s population. In the SCAG region, there are 57,741 total jobs in the faming, fishing, and forestry occupations.

As previously discussed in Section 2.1, Population and Demographics, the City has no land devoted to the production of field crops and/or ornamental plants or trees. Likewise, there is no land used for animal production. As a result, there are no farmworker jobs located in Hawaiian Gardens. The 19 people identified as employed in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sectors

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may be persons with “permanent” residences in the City who are seasonal farmworkers at locations outside the City’s boundaries, or are workers employed in non-traditional agricultural production.

Additionally, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s most recent Census of Agriculture, the County has 1,793 persons employed in the Agricultural Industry (farmworkers).

Although there are 1,793 farmworkers in the County, the County is very large (4,751 square miles), and farmworkers are not evenly distributed within the County. As such, the number of farmworkers in the County is not useful for the City to address farmworker housing.

Therefore, any housed “farmworkers” who may reside in the City would live in a household and occupy a housing unit. As such, they would be among the existing households counted as part of the existing housing needs and estimates of existing and project housing needs produced by HCD and SCAG. Specifically, the resident farmworker housing needs would be counted as part of the lower income households experiencing problems of overpaying, overcrowding, and living in substandard housing and their housing needs can be met through general affordable housing programs and development of a range of housing types (e.g., smaller units such as ADUs) rather than by providing farmworker-specific housing.

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4 RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS
The availability of financing resources from federal, State, and local sources, as well as private lenders and non-profit organizations, is essential to the construction and rehabilitation of housing. The success of housing projects is also affected by governmental constraints (such as land use controls and development fees) and non-governmental constraints (such as housing market situation and environmental constraints). These factors will be discussed in this chapter.

Housing Constraints indicates those environmental factors, governmental factors, and market factors that could impede the development of new housing.

4.1 FINANCING AND SUBSIDY SOURCES
Federal, State, and local agencies provide a wide range of resources to help support the construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of housing units for lower-income households in Hawaiian Gardens. Many of these resources are made available to local tenants, owners, and developers of affordable housing through City and County programs and services. Although there is a wide range of programs, the availability of funding through these programs is typically inadequate to satisfy all needs. As a result, there is a fair amount of competition for program funds that are available, and any one development may need to draw upon multiple resources to be financially feasible.

Federal Resources
The federal government offers a wide variety of resource-related housing assistance. The mortgage interest deduction and the real estate tax deduction are just two of the most common choices for homeowners provided through the income tax code. The deductions promote homeownership and reduce tax liabilities for home-owning taxpayers. Moreover, the deductions are used widely and expansively across the nation. Among the states, California has the highest amount of mortgage interest and real estate tax deducted every year.

Aside from tax of mortgage deductions, the federal government provided housing assistance to California jurisdictions through several programs. Like State programs, federal programs often change in terms of program details, application procedures, and amount of subsidy dollars available. For detailed descriptions, current subsidy levels, and up-to-date application procedures, refer to program literature available online from HUD at http://www.hud.gov.

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a longstanding program of HUD funds local community development activities such as affordable housing, anti-poverty programs, and infrastructure development. Cities with populations over 50,000 receive CDBG funds directly from HUD while smaller cities apply directly to the County or State for a portion of the funding that is allocated and administered by those entities. HUD makes allocations based on a formula that takes population, poverty, and housing distress into account. CDBG funds can be used for a variety of housing efforts

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including activities aimed at reducing costs for private development (helping fund site acquisition, improvements, and other soft cost); housing acquisition and rehabilitation through short and long-term loans, grants, or loan guarantees; direct payment of rent or mortgage and housing counseling services; activities relating to energy conservation and renewable energy resources; and fair housing activities. CDBG funds are best used in combination with other subsidy sources or to provide predevelopment funding to initiate housing development.

The program is ongoing under the Community Development Department and is financed by the General Fund.

4.2 RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS ON HOUSING PRODUCTION
There are constraints from both the governmental and market sectors of the community that are capable of limiting or paralyzing efforts to maintain and provide affordable housing. Such constraints must be overcome in order to implement the General Plan, including the Housing Element. Some constraints may be minor enough that market conditions are able to easily overcome problem situations. Other types of constraints can be significant enough to discourage development altogether. Constraints fall into two general categories: Governmental constraints and Non-Governmental Constraints.

GOVERNMENTAL RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS
Governmental constraints are defined as government decisions or actions that have the unintended potential to impede the market’s ability to satisfy demand for affordable housing.

Categories of governmental constraints may include building permits, code enforcement, land use and development controls, site improvement fees, and development permits which affect the supply, distribution, and cost of housing. These controls are necessary to protect the community's health, safety, and welfare.

The City has adopted the Los Angeles County 2022 Building Code that establishes minimum construction standards. The City’s existing development requirements included in the Zoning Ordinance and Building Code do not include any architectural standards that would add to the cost of new housing development. In addition, there are no unique open space, parking, or Mello-Roos fee requirements that are applicable to new developments outside of what is standard throughout the region.

Although Code Enforcement is included in this Governmental Constraints Section of the Housing Element, the City’s implementation of the program has resulted in maintaining the housing stock for all income households. The City’s active Code Enforcement Program continues to assure the health, safety, and welfare of the community. It is the City’s policy to encourage voluntary Municipal Code compliance by providing residents, business operators, property owners, and tenants the opportunity, with sufficient notice and information, to comply with the Hawaiian Gardens Municipal Code and other applicable laws and requirements. The

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City believes that voluntary compliance is the preferred method in initiating compliance. With cooperation of residents, business operators, property owners and tenants, this endeavor results in a respectful and satisfactory relationship between the City and the community. The diagram below illustrates the City’s code enforcement process.

Figure 4.1 Code Enforcement Process

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Hawaiian Gardens City CouncilDecember 11, 2024

Hawaiian Gardens City Council
December 11, 2024