Long Beach will remain neutral on Senate Bills 9 and 10 after the city council rejected an item 4-5 that would oppose the bills at its Tuesday, Sept. 14 meeting.
The controversial housing bills are meant to spur on the creation of housing and alleviate the state’s housing crisis. Both have already passed through the California legislature. They are currently on the governor’s desk for approval or veto.
SB 9 allows property owners to divide single-family lots and construct up to four units on the properties, not including accessory dwelling units. SB 10 allows cities to opt-in to regulations that allow “upzoning” high transit areas by allowing up to 10 units per parcel without California Environmental Quality Act approvals.
Councilmember Al Austin said the bills apply a “one size fits all approach to the entire state,” which ignores or overrides policies and public input at the local level. (Earlier in the meeting, the council gave its first approval of an enhanced density bonus to incentivize the development of affordable housing. SB 9 does not have any affordability requirements.)
Advocates for SB 9 say it reverses long-standing inequities caused by single-family zoning, which was leveraged to redline cities in the 1950s and prevent families of color from moving into predominantly white neighborhoods.
But council members noted that SB 9 would change the makeup of Long Beach neighborhoods by increasing density, intensifying parking constraints and taking away the City’s local control.
“We’ve worked to preserve the integrity and distinct character of the many great neighborhoods in the city,” Austin said. “Let us continue to work to meet our housing needs, with our local community input and policies and zoning that take into account our own local needs: the Long Beach way.”
The council was set to consider a resolution of opposition last week, but the discussion was delayed due to a procedural error—one that the city attorney warned could trigger a Brown Act violation. Austin’s office contacted five council members about the item, which would constitute a majority discussion out of the public eye.
The item was tabled until this week.
Even then, SB 9 and SB 10 had already passed through the California legislature by the time council would have discussed the item.
Councilmember Roberto Uranga said any vote would be “symbolic,” and that he was certain that SB 9 and SB 10 would be approved by the governor whether or not the City asserted its opposition.
“It’s a done deal,” he said.
He expressed hope that petitions against the bills would cause a statewide vote on the item.
Long Beach Manager of Government Affairs Tyler Bonanno-Curley noted that the City did lobby for changes in SB 9, such as requiring affordability and owner occupancy. The bill was amended to require owners sign an affidavit agreeing to live in the residence for at least three years—a way to prevent developers from taking advantage of the law.
The governor is expected to sign or veto the bills in the coming weeks.
To avoid future potential for Brown Act violations, the council also passed a policy that requires a maximum of three signatures on agenda items.
The next Long Beach City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Civic Chambers, 411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802.
