Agenda Item: 6
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: April 22, 2025
SUBJECT: STATE LEGISLATION: AB 507, AB 893, AB 1154, AB 1206, and SB 677
DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office
PRESENTER: Masis Hagobian
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Oppose AB 507 (Haney), AB 893 (Fong), AB 1154 (Carrillo), AB 1206 (Harabedian), and SB 677 (Wiener).
2. Transmit position statements to the authors of the bills, Santa Clarita’s state legislative delegation, appropriate legislative committees, Governor Newsom, and other stakeholder organizations.
BACKGROUND
The following state legislative items were presented to the City Council Legislative Committee on March 27, 2025. Included as part of this report is a brief summary of each piece of legislation and its current status in the state legislative process. The state legislative items in this report are related to local land use authority.
The City of Santa Clarita (City) currently has policies and standards in place regarding proposed residential projects related to parking, design standards, zoning, and overall application review.
Typically, residential projects undergo an extensive review process, including public hearings, administrative review, and an opportunity for appeal. This allows the City’s Planning division, Planning Commission (Commission), and the public the ability to review residential projects and subdivision proposals based on unique community circumstances and needs.
Four of the five bills in this report require residential project applications to be reviewed through a streamlined and ministerial process. Projects under a streamlined and ministerial review are not subject to an appeals process, public hearing, and the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) review. Streamlined and ministerial review preempts the following standards in the City’s Unified Development Code:
1. Discretionary Review
a. Typical residential applications include a discretionary review affording the City the ability to either approve, approve with conditions, approve with modifications, refer the request to the Commission, or deny the application for a proposed use, modification, or development based on the following:
i. That the use, development of land, or application of development standards is in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Santa Clarita Unified Development Code; and
ii. That the use, development of land, or application of development standards, when considered on the basis of the suitability of the site for the particular use or development intended, is so arranged as to avoid traffic congestion, ensure the protection of public health, safety, and general welfare, prevent adverse effects on neighboring property, and is in conformity with good zoning practice.
2. Zoning
a. Specific zoning is reserved in the City to achieve the following purposes:
i. To reserve appropriate areas for the continuation of residential living at specific dwelling unit densities, consistent with the Santa Clarita General Plan and with sound standards to preserve public health, safety, and welfare.
ii. To minimize traffic congestion and to avoid the overloading of public services and utilities by preventing the construction of buildings of excessive bulk or number in relation to the land area around them.
iii. To facilitate the provision of utility services and other public facilities commensurate with anticipated population, dwelling unit densities, and service requirements.
iv. To promote high standards for site planning, architecture, and landscape design for development within the City, while preserving the City’s historical and natural resources such as oak trees, river areas, and ridgelines.
3. City’s Parking Standards
a. Studio units - one enclosed parking space per unit
b. One-bedroom units - two enclosed parking spaces per unit
c. Two-bedroom units - two enclosed parking spaces per unit
d. Guest parking - one parking space per each two units
Assembly Bill 507
Introduced by Assembly Member Matt Haney (D-17-San Francisco), Assembly Bill 507 requires cities and counties to approve an adaptive reuse project as a use by-right, regardless of local zoning, and subject to a streamlined and ministerial review process, if the project meets objective design standards and an affordable housing criterion, as listed below. An adaptive reuse project is the conversion of an existing office or commercial space into housing.
• Rental project dedicates 8 percent of units for very low-income households and 5 percent of units for extremely low-income households, or 15 percent of units for lower-income households.
• Homeownership project dedicates 30 percent for moderate-income households or 15 percent for lower-income households.
Additionally, Assembly Bill 507 requires eligible adaptive reuse projects to be reviewed within 60 days if the project contains fewer than 150 housing units, and 90 days if the project is larger.
Similar proposals typically take six to nine months.
Assembly Bill 507 was introduced on February 10, 2025, and is pending a committee hearing in the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development.
Assembly Bill 893
Introduced by Assembly Member Mike Fong (D-49-Alhambra), Assembly Bill 893 requires cities and counties to approve an affordable housing project located within a one-mile radius from a college or community college as a use by-right, regardless of local zoning, and subject to a streamlined and ministerial review process, if the project meets objective design standards and an affordable housing criterion, as listed below.
• Rental project dedicates 5 percent of units for extremely low-income households, extremely low-income faculty or staff, or students experiencing homelessness, or 8 percent for very low-income households, very low-income faculty or staff, or students experiencing homelessness; or
• Rental project dedicates 15 percent of units for lower-income households, lower- income students, or lower income faculty or staff.
• Owner-occupied project that offers 30 percent of units at an affordable housing cost, as defined in Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, to moderate-income households; or 15 percent of units offered at an affordable housing cost, as defined in
the same section, to lower income households, lower income students, or lower income faculty or staff.
Under Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, any owner-occupied housing may not exceed the following:
• For extremely low-income households, the product of 30 percent times 30 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size appropriate for the unit.
• For very low-income households, the product of 30 percent times 50 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size appropriate for the unit.
• For lower income households whose gross incomes exceed the maximum income for very low-income households, and do not exceed 70 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size, the product of 30 percent times 70 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size appropriate for the unit.
• For moderate-income households, affordable housing cost shall not be less than 28 percent of the gross income of the household, nor exceed the product of 35 percent times 110 percent of area median income adjusted for family size appropriate for the unit.
Assembly Bill 893 was introduced on February 19, 2025, and is pending a committee hearing in the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development.
Assembly Bill 1154
Introduced by Assembly Member Juan Carrillo (D-39-Palmdale), Assembly Bill 1154 prohibits cities and counties from imposing any parking standards for the construction of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), if the unit is 500 square feet or smaller.
Under current state law, local governments are prohibited from requiring the replacement of a garage, carport, or covered parking structure when it is demolished in conjunction with the construction of, or conversion to an ADU on a single-family or multi-family housing property.
Recently, the legislature has passed legislation to preempt parking standards on housing projects that are close in proximity to transit stops or high-quality transit corridors. Assembly Bill 1154 seeks to extend state law to preempt local governments from imposing parking standards for the construction of an ADU that is 500 square feet or smaller, also known as a Junior ADU, regardless of its proximity to public transit.
In addition to the City’s minimum parking standards on new developments, the City reserves the authority to require additional parking as a condition of approval on renovations, remodels, or additions to an existing single-family residence.
The City imposes minimum on-site parking requirements to ensure adequate and reasonable access to homes. Additionally, the standards serve as a safeguard to prevent congestion of on-
street vehicle parking that may cause unsafe conditions for surrounding residents and businesses and access challenges for emergency personnel, especially in the event of an emergency evacuation.
Assembly Bill 1154 passed the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development (10-0-1) on March 26, 2025, and is pending a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
Assembly Bill 1206
Introduced by Assembly Member John Harabedian (D-41-Pasadena), Assembly Bill 1206 requires cities and counties to develop a program for the preapproval of a housing plan by July 1, 2026. The bill would also require cities and counties to post preapproved plans on the local government’s website and approve or deny a housing project application that utilizes a preapproved plan, or a plan identical to one that was previously approved by the local government, within 30 days.
In requiring local governments to accept preapproved plans and approve or deny project applications within 30 days, Assembly Bill 1206 preempts the City’s ability to maintain due diligence when reviewing a residential project application. The City, not unlike areas within the author’s district, varies in topography and is predominantly located within California’s Very- High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). As the legislation lacks an exemption to areas within a VHFHSZ, Assembly Bill 1206 poses significant constraints to the City’s review in determining project suitability and potential risk to health and safety in these areas, especially given the recent wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Assembly Bill 1206 was amended subsequent to the City Council Legislative Committee meeting on March 27, 2025. The amendments to the legislation were: (1) changing the effective date from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026; and (2) adding that the project site meets the soil conditions, topography, flood zone, zoning regulations, and design review standards for which the preapproved plan was designed for.
Assembly Bill 1206 passed the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development (11-0) on March 26, 2025, and is pending a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
Senate Bill 677
Introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-11-San Francisco), Senate Bill 677, among other things, expands Senate Bill 9 (Chapter 162, Statutes of 2021) by requiring cities and counties to approve the development of up to two-residential units on any property containing a single-family home or property zoned for four or less residential units through a streamlined and ministerial review process, if the project meets specified requirements.
The specified requirements include that the project would not require the demolition or alteration of an existing home that is under rent or price control or has been occupied in the last three years, unless an existing structure located on the project property was damaged due to an earthquake or
catastrophic event.
Senate Bill 677 preempts local parking standards by prohibiting cities and counties from requiring more than one space of off-street parking per unit. The legislation restricts a local government from imposing any parking requirements if any of the following applies:
a. The parcel is located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit; b. The parcel is located within an architecturally and historically significant historic district; or
c. There is a car share vehicle located within one block of the parcel.
Additionally, Senate Bill 677 prohibits cities and counties from denying a project due to the presence of preexisting nonconforming zoning conditions, building code violations, or unpermitted structures that do not present a threat to public health and safety and are not affected by the construction of the unit or units. The legislation also prohibits cities and counties from imposing an impact fee upon an eligible project when a unit is less than 1,750 square feet.
Senate Bill 677 was amended subsequent to the City Council Legislative Committee meeting on March 27, 2025, to no longer apply to the coastal zone.
Senate Bill 677 was introduced on February 21, 2025, and is pending a committee hearing in the Senate Housing Committee.
The recommendation to oppose AB 507 (Haney), AB 893 (Fong), AB 1154 (Carrillo), AB 1206 (Harabedian), and SB 677 (Wiener) is consistent with the City of Santa Clarita 2025 Executive and Legislative Platform. Specifically, Component 1 under the “State” section advises that the City Council, “Oppose legislation that would interfere with, limit or eliminate the decision- making authority of municipalities in the area of local land use.”
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact as a result of this item.
ATTACHMENTS
Assembly Bill 507 - Bill Text
Assembly Bill 893 - Bill Text
Assembly Bill 1154 - Bill Text
Assembly Bill 1206 - Bill Text (Amended)
Senate Bill 677 - Bill Text (Amended)