Regional Housing Needs Allocation Reform Bill on Gov. Brown's Desk

The lone survivor of Sen. Scott Wiener's trio of "Housing-First Policy" bills awaits a decision by Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 828, intended to increase the amount of land zoned for housing in California cities, was weakened by amendments.

2 minute read

September 25, 2018, 8:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


California State Capital

cmshepard / Shutterstock

Senate Bill 828: Housing element, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), was intended to ensure that housing construction in cities and counties kept pace with population growth by making changes to the controversial state housing needs allocation process.

In 2016, only 13 local jurisdictions among the state's 540 cities and counties met their state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirement. See Sen. Wiener's "Fixing RHNA" fact sheet [Google.doc.]

SB 828 is the middle bill in the Wiener's aggressive 'Housing-First Policy' trio, introduced in January with SB 827: transit rich housing bonus, and SB 829: farmworker housing, and it is the lone survivor, so far. 

When initially introduced in January, the bill "doubled the amount of land local governments had to zone to meet local housing needs — a potential boon to multifamily developers across the state," reported Dennis Lynch for The Real Deal on Aug. 31.

By the time both houses of the state legislature approved SB-828 [on Aug. 30] — their last week before taking a two-month recess — lawmakers had gutted that signature provision.

Lynch tracks how the increased residential zoning requirement for cities and counties in the bill was weakened and then eliminated through the legislative process.

While not as ambitious as first envisioned, the bill could still result in more residential zoning. The law sent to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk this week allows the state to take into account existing need as well as projected future need when determining zoning allocations.

The bill, sponsored by the Bay Area Council and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is opposed by the American Planning Association, California Chapter [pdf]. 

A related bill, AB 1771, by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), "aims to make the RHNA allocation process more equitable by allowing non-governmental organizations and surrounding jurisdictions to challenge the allocation of another jurisdiction," according to Bloom. Co-sponsored by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and the Western Center on Law and Poverty [pdf], APA California was kinder to it, taking a "support if amended" position [pdf]. It also sits on Brown's desk.

As for the two sibling bills in Wiener's housing package, SB 827 died early at its first committee hearing in April. SB 829, co-authored by Senator Andy Vidak (R-Hanford), experienced an even more ignominious death through the gut-and-amend process, morphing in April into a child care bill, and in May to a cannabis bill. It's on the governor's desk in that form.

SB 828 in Planetizen:

Friday, August 31, 2018 in The Real Deal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

July 10 - The Markup

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

July 10 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial of rainbow painted crosswalks at large intersection in Castro District, Sna Francisco, California.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts

Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.

July 10 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA