Posted on 01/30/2022

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Most of Long Beach City Council says nothing can be done about State-mandated overdevelopment.  Long Beach Mayoral Candidate Joshua Rodriguez disagrees.

Background:
Last year, Long Beach approved the development of an 11-bedroom rental house in a single-family neighborhood.  Concerned residents asked council members to intervene, but were told that their hands were tied since the approval followed Accessory Dwelling (ADU) laws mandated by the State of California through State Senate and Assembly bills AB 3182 (2020) and SB 13, AB 68, AB 881, AB 587, AB 670, and AB 671 (2019).

 

Enacted on January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 9 (SB9) threatens to eliminate Single Family Residential Zones statewide.  The bill, enacted on January 1, allows single-family homeowners or developers to divide the parcel into duplexes, each with up to two separate units!    What was once a single-family lot can become four units with no consideration of traffic, infrastructure, or environmental impact!

 

City of Long Beach council members took no position against SB9 before being voted on.  “The policy-setting City Council in LA County's second-largest city failed to take a position on SB 9 through two state Senate policy committees and passage by the full Senate (where SB 9 received "yes" votes from state Senator Lena Gonzalez (an SB 9 co-author) and state Senator Tom Umberg (D, SE LB-west OC) and now all of the Assembly's policy committees.” LBReport.com, June 23, 2021.   The City has already adopted an SB9 friendly permitting into the building and planning process, once again taking the position that Long Beach is defenseless against State-mandated overdevelopment.

 

Is it too late to fight against state-mandated zoning laws?  Joshua Rodriguez says - NO, it is not:
Concerned city leaders, organizations, and residents are gathering signatures for the Our Neighborhood Voices initiative, which restores the authority of your local representatives to decide what gets built in your community, on your street, and right next door to where you live.  This state constitutional amendment is supported by a coalition of community advocates, elected officials, and Californians from all walks of life who agree that it is time to restore our voice on local community decisions.

 

The Cities of Carson, Redondo Beach, and Torrance have launched legal challenges to SB9.  A second legal challenge to SB9, including Rancho Palos Verdes and Hesperia, is also underway.  A draft version complaint states that SB 9 violated the legal designation of the California Constitution’s statutory city.  Cities that represent residents’ interests are defending their constituents against these unreasonable mandates.

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Josh’s Plan of Action Against State-mandated Overdevelopment 

1. The City of Long Beach should officially support and socialize the Our Neighborhood Voices initiative:  Council members who have expressed concern for the loss of local zoning and building control should go on record and vote on a resolution in support of Initiative 21-0016 (Our Neighborhood Voices Initiative) in the next City Council session. Long Beach would be joining 29 cities, the Southern California Association of Governments, the California Contract Cities Association, and the South Bay Council of Governments.

2. Join other Cities in the Legal Battle Against SB9, and lead the fight against AB 3182, SB 13, AB 68, AB 881, AB 587, AB 670, and AB 671. Since there is a proposed constitutional amendment supported by a broad coalition of governments and their constituents, Long Beach should stop obligating itself to surrender local control of Zoning and Housing.  Long Beach should seek a judicial stay order blocking any legal action against the City until zoning control is decided at the ballot box.

3. Modify Long Beach Planning Bureau Guidelines to accommodate reasonable ADU standards.  To be clear, no one wants to stop homeowners from making space for a family member or student rental, but residents should decide what is best for Long Beach, not the State Government or outside developers!

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Al Austin, Daryl Supernaw, Stacy Mungo Flanigan and Suzie Price all supported vetoing the housing bills:  

https://lbpost.com/news/long-beach-city-council-declines-to-ask-newsom-to-veto-housing-bills

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