Encinitas, like many small cities up and down California, hasn’t been happy with a spate of state laws that require localities to approve more housing – affordable or otherwise. The state has also begun to crack down on some cities that have run afoul of those laws. Encinitas has been hit with lawsuits from developers and legal threats from the state.
But newly elected Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers has a plan to push back on what he views as overreach from Sacramento – lobby lawmakers in Sacramento.
He hopes that state lawmakers will be sympathetic to his plea that certain housing mandates be altered. He’s also begun working with other city leaders to get an initiative on the statewide ballot that would give local governments more control over land-use planning and zoning decisions and allow them to override conflicting state laws.
But some state lawmakers, like Assemblymember Chris Ward, think the gambit is a long shot. After all, this isn’t the first time cities have tried to pry control over housing from the state. The courts put a kibosh on that then, and they may very well do the same this time around.
“Reinventing this strategy, with a new set of characters and a new coalition that’s been coined, I don’t know how that results in a different outcome,” Ward said.
Builder-Backed Study: Environmentally Friendly Policy Crushing Homebuilding
A study commissioned by San Diego’s homebuilding lobby found that county rules meant to minimize driving and greenhouse gas emissions stymied housing development in unincorporated areas, leading to a “marked decline” in new housing permits.
The study by local real estate analytics firm London Moeder Advisors, funded by the Building Industry Association, noted that average monthly building permits issued for single-family homes fell 31 percent after a key county reform in 2022 increasing the burden on projects in further-flung areas of the county as part of its vehicle-miles-traveled policy.
The London Moeder team argued that the county should institute mitigation options with an eye toward how other communities are handling the regulations, expand areas considered more development-friendly under the policy and lobby for state reforms to VMT standards to facilitate more homebuilding.
Voice of San Diego reported last fall that the policy seemed to have led developers to pump the brakes on homebuilding, but the county wouldn’t share permit application data to fully clarify whether there was a slowdown.
The county’s response: County spokesperson Donna Durckel said county officials hadn’t fully reviewed the more than 70-page report on Thursday afternoon but pushed back on its major takeaway.
“Directly linking any reduction in permits to a single factor would not be accurate,” Durckel wrote in an email. “There are many influences that may affect housing production, in addition to VMT policies, including financing, supply chain issues and labor availability.”
She also wrote that the county is committed to increased housing development and has taken numerous steps in recent years to try to reduce barriers to homebuilding.
Gary London of London Moeder Advisors said he agrees other factors can influence development but argued the county is underplaying the VMT policy’s impact.
“When VMT came about, it was just another layer on the regulatory cake that has created an effective moratorium,” London said.
Save the Date: May 29, Off the Record
We’re not sure if you’ve heard, maybe we’ve been too subtle, but this year is Voice of San Diego’s 20th anniversary!
Aside from looking back at some of our most powerful investigations, we’re also celebrating our work with an event on May 29. We’re planning on having fun with it, and to give you an idea of just how fun, here’s our promo video.
Voice of San Diego has been a part of telling the story of San Diego now for 20 years. We can have jokes and memories because of the story we help maintain and it’ll be fun to play off that for one night in May.
Save the date and we’ll open ticket sales soon. If you are interested in sponsoring the event contact jennifer.vu@voiceofsandiego.org.
In Other News
- Despite recent criticism and resignation of its leader, a San Diego police oversight commission is standing its ground. City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, recently indicated she would not begin a search for a new executive director if the commission did not address several issues. (Union-Tribune)
- Investigators with the San Diego Humane Society have determined the death of a horse at the San Diego Rodeo in January was “accidental and unforeseen.” (NBC 7)
- Three deaths of three prisoners at San Diego County jails have prompted lawsuits alleging that Sheriff’s deputies mismanaged the situations. Despite troubling details, investigators for the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board have found no wrongdoing. (Union Tribune)
- A state law mandates that only individuals convicted of specific felonies in the last 15 years, or those convicted of specific misdemeanors in the last five, can be transferred to ICE custody by local jails. A 2023 transfer by Sheriff Kelly Martinez may have run afoul of that law. (KPBS)
- A set of 1960s-era buildings on Coronado’s Navy base is shaped like a swastika. Despite a 2007 pledge to change the design, it still looks like a swastika. (Fox 5)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Lisa Halverstadt and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.