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SB-262 • 2026

Housing element: prohousing designations: prohousing local policies.

Housing element: prohousing designations: prohousing local policies.

Housing Land
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Wahab
Last action
2025-10-10
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 513, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify that the bill requires cities and counties to consider these updated policies in their community planning. This claim was removed as it is unsupported by the provided text.

Prohousing Designations: Local Housing Policies

This law updates the definition of prohousing local policies to include measures that help keep people in their homes and adds more examples of such policies.

What This Bill Does

  • Updates the list of prohousing local policies to include actions that prevent homelessness.
  • Adds new examples of prohousing policies, like financial support for housing and zoning rules that make it easier to build homes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Cities and counties in California
  • People who work on local government housing plans

Terms To Know

Prohousing Local Policies
Policies that help increase the number of homes available, especially affordable ones.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how cities and counties will be rewarded for adopting these policies.
  • It is unclear what specific actions will count as 'keeping people housed'.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 513, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-16 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-09 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 27. Noes 11. Page 2711.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-09-08 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-08 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 57. Noes 15. Page 2984.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  9. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  10. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  11. 2025-08-21 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  12. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 20).

  13. 2025-07-17 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  14. 2025-07-07 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  15. 2025-07-03 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 10. Noes 2.) (July 2).

  16. 2025-06-09 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and L. GOV.

  17. 2025-06-04 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  18. 2025-06-03 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 24. Noes 13. Page 1467.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  19. 2025-06-02 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  20. 2025-05-29 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to second reading.

  21. 2025-05-29 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  22. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  23. 2025-04-07 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

  24. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 7.

  25. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  26. 2025-03-18 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 2. Page 411.) (March 18).

  27. 2025-03-06 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing March 18.

  28. 2025-02-14 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on HOUSING.

  29. 2025-02-04 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 6.

  30. 2025-02-03 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 262, Wahab.
Housing element: prohousing designations: prohousing local policies.
Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, and specified land outside its boundaries, that includes, among other specified mandatory elements, a housing element. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine whether the housing element is in substantial compliance with those provisions. Existing law requires the department to designate jurisdictions as prohousing pursuant to emergency regulations adopted by the department, as prescribed. Existing law requires that jurisdictions that are prohousing and that are in substantial compliance with specified provisions be awarded additional points or preference in the scoring of applications for specified state programs. Existing law defines “prohousing local policies” for
these purposes and specifies a nonexhaustive list of examples of those policies, including local financial incentives for housing and adoption of zoning allowing for use by right for residential and mixed-use development.
This bill would include in the definition of “prohousing local policies” policies that keep people housed, and would include additional examples of prohousing local policies under the above-described provisions, as specified.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65589.9 of the Government Code proposed by AB 36 to be operative only if this bill and AB 36 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

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