The mayor of Chino has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for a meeting to discuss giving cities more control over housing policy.
Mayor Eunice Ulloa and Chino city officials have cried foul over ever-expansive state housing laws that they said have eroded local control and stifled the inclusion of municipalities and the public in the development process.
In her April 23 letter, Ulloa cited several recent state Senate bills — SBs 423, 4 and 9 — that she said have diminished local authority, expanded “by right” approval processes that forego project reviews by local officials and eliminate public hearings while limiting cities’ ability to manage land development.
Ulloa said the newly proposed Senate Bill 79 seeks to expand such approval processes by allowing transit agencies unlimited authority to make land-use decisions regarding properties they own. If the bill becomes law, transit agencies could bypass local zoning or planning regulations, according to Ulloa.
“Chino is thriving thanks to a history of ‘smart growth’ policies that have responsibly planned for our growing community while maintaining the small-town character that defines us,” the mayor said in a statement. “But recent legislation has stripped away our ability to continue to grow in a way that makes sense for our community. This top-down legislation creates frustration in our communities while failing to properly address the ongoing housing crisis.”
Ulloa and Chino officials also argued that the city’s “regional housing needs allocation,” which is a number of units the state assigns to be developed in a city, “is an impossible number to attain that will not lead to the level of increased housing growth that it intends.”
Chino’s RHNA is 6,978 units, 3,397 of which are in the affordable income level, according to the city’s 2021-29 housing element.
Cities without state-approved housing elements face “dire consequences,” including the Builder’s Remedy, a legal mechanism that allows developers to bypass local zoning laws in cities or counties not compliant with state housing requirements, Ulloa wrote.
The mayor has requested a meeting with Newsom and other state officials “to discuss a path forward that balances the urgency of the housing crisis while respecting the role of cities in crafting sustainable, community-focused solutions,” according to a city statement.
City spokesman Matthew Bramlett said the governor’s office responded to Ulloa’s letter, and they are trying to set up a meeting.
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The letter is available on the city’s website.
