CITY COUNCIL
Joe Franklin
Mayor
Amy Howorth
Mayor Pro Tem
David Lesser
Councilmember
Steve Napolitano
Councilmember
Richard Montgomery
Councilmember
MANHATTAN BEACH CITY HALL
1400 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
www.manhattanbeach.gov • (310) 802-5000
July 15, 2024
The Honorable Scott Wiener
Member, California State Senate
1021 O Street, Suite 8620
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 951 (Wiener) California Coastal Act of 1976: coastal zone: coastal development.
Notice of OPPOSITION (As Amended June 5, 2024)
Dear Senator Wiener,
The City of Manhattan Beach respectfully opposes SB 951, which would expand rezoning standards for coastal development within the coastal zone, affecting the development of housing elements and local coastal program procedures. As currently drafted, SB 951 would require local governments to provide any necessary local coastal program updates during the housing element planning period to incorporate the rezoning of site inventories.
While we recognize the importance of addressing housing issues within the coastal zone, The City of Manhattan Beach believes SB 951 will overburden local governments in planning processes without solving the challenges of increasing affordable housing and meeting housing goals in the coastal zone. Under existing law, local governments are required to prepare a Local Coastal Program (LCP) or may request in writing to the Coastal Commission to have the commission prepare an LCP on behalf of the local jurisdiction.
The LCP certification process is time-consuming and costly – taking years of review and public proceedings to gain approval. The bill would require LCPs be updated every five to eight years to include the rezoning of sites as required by the Department of Housing and Community Development in reviewing the housing element. This approach mires local governments in planning efforts that will not solve the underlying housing issues.
Further, state law enshrines that “
no local coastal program shall be required
to include housing policies and programs” (Public Resources Code Section 30500.1). While the intention of SB 951 may be to streamline regulatory processes, the bill puts burdensome obligations on local governments to include housing-specific, parcel-level information. The bill lacks clarity on the state’s role in approving any LCP updates promptly to support the development of housing in the coastal zone. This ambiguity will lead to SB 951
July 15, 2024
confusion in local planning efforts and undermine the effectiveness of updating both local coastal programs and housing elements and meeting housing goals.
The City of Manhattan Beach supports legislation that maintains local control over the administration of local programs and this bill would interfere with, limit, or eliminate the decision-making authority of municipalities in the area of local land use.
At a minimum, the bill should be amended to shift the burden on the state, to streamline by providing a clear path for local governments to identify if zoning changes were made during the rezoning of sites that would change the local maps or ordinances. If the local government determines that zoning changes did occur, they should be directed to follow the structured process in Public Resources Code §30513 to submit any necessary zoning ordinance or zoning district map changes to the Coastal Commission, rather than require a more robust, costly, and time intensive LCP update. This would provide a balanced approach to meet the author’s intent of the bill to align the rezoning of sites during the housing element review cycle and ensure coastal planning can continue to progress with updated zoning maps and information.
As currently written, SB 951 erodes local autonomy and undermines community-based planning efforts, ultimately weakening the ability of local governments to effectively manage coastal development in line with housing priorities. SB 951 would pose significant costs to local governments to meet these requirements.
For these reasons, the City of Manhattan Beach’s position remains opposed on SB 951.
Sincerely,
Joe Franklin
Mayor
City of Manhattan Beach
Cc: City of Manhattan Beach City Council
The Honorable State Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi
The Honorable State Senator Ben Allen
South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Jeff Kiernan, League of California Cities Public Affairs Manager League of California Cities, [email protected]
California Contract Cities Association