August 18, 2026
The Honorable Diane Papan
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 4220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 2296 (Papan) Planning and zoning: housing element: regional housing needs allocation
Notice of Support (As of April 16, 2026)
Dear Assembly Member Papan,
The City of Redondo Beach is pleased to support your measure AB 2296 (Papan), which would allow local governments to begin the housing element update process six months early, provide greater certainty and reduce ambiguity in the housing element review process.
Since 1969, California’s local governments have planned and selected sites for housing at all income levels through the housing element portion of a local government’s general plan. Every five to eight years, local governments are required to adopt a blueprint outlining where developers can or cannot build residential developments within their respective communities and obtain certification from HCD. Local governments plan for their fair share of housing development as determined through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. As part of this complex process, local governments submit in their housing elements a variety of essential data, actions, and programs to promote fair, equitable, and affordable housing in their community. Currently, local jurisdictions are planning and zoning for nearly 2.5 million additional homes statewide.
During the 6th RHNA cycle, local governments experienced various challenges in obtaining certification from HCD. Some of the challenges include multiple housing element drafts before certification within a short timeline for completing these complex documents, a nearly 126% increase in the duration to complete the housing element compared to the 5th RHNA Cycle, a lack of clarity regarding what the state expects from local governments when reviewing additional housing element drafts, and an ever-changing legal environment mid-cycle that local jurisdictions must account for and incorporate into their housing elements.
For the City of Redondo Beach, these challenges were further magnified by our built‑out coastal setting, limited remaining development sites, and the need to balance ambitious housing targets with infrastructure capacity and community livability. Beginning the housing element update process six months early would provide Redondo Beach with valuable additional time to identify appropriate sites, conduct required environmental and infrastructure analyses, and integrate evolving state requirements into a legally compliant and context‑sensitive document. This added clarity and predictability would support more effective long‑range planning and strengthen our ability to deliver fair, equitable, and sustainable housing opportunities.
AB 2296 would address these issues by allowing local governments to begin updating their housing element six months early. The bill would also require HCD to provide specific text and analysis that must be included in the housing element to remedy deficiencies, ensuring that local governments are not penalized when HCD identifies additional deficiencies not previously identified in prior review letters. For these reasons, the City of Redondo Beach is pleased to support AB 2296 (Papan).
Sincerely,
James A. Light
Mayor, City of Redondo Beach