SB 486: Regional housing: public postsecondary education: changes in enrollment levels: California Environmental Quality Act.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

(1)Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt regional transportation plans directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Existing law requires each regional transportation plan to include a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization in order to, among other things, identify areas within the region sufficient to house all the population of the region, including all economic segments of the population, over the course of the planning period of the regional transportation plan taking into account net migration into the region, population growth, household formation, and employment growth.

This bill would require the sustainable communities strategy, in identifying areas within the region sufficient to house all the population of the region, to also take into account changes in enrollment levels at institutions of public higher education, as defined. By imposing additional duties on metropolitan planning organizations, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)Existing law requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, which includes, among other mandatory elements, a housing element. Existing law requires, for the 4th and subsequent revision of the housing element, the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region in a specified manner.

Existing law requires the department to meet and consult with the council of governments regarding the assumptions and methodologies to be used to determine each region’s housing needs and requires the council of governments to provide data assumptions from the council of governments’ projections, including specified data for the region, if available. As part of that requirement, existing law directs the council of governments to provide data assumptions regarding anticipated household growth associated with projected population increases.

This bill would require the Department of Finance to consider changes in enrollment levels at campuses of the University of California or the California State University in the region, as forecasted by the University of California and California State University pursuant to the provisions described below, when preparing the anticipated household growth associated with projected population increases.

Existing law requires each council of governments or delegate subregion, as applicable, to develop a proposed methodology for distributing the existing and projected regional housing need to cities, counties, and cities and counties within the region or within the subregion, as provided. Existing law requires, to the extent that sufficient data is available, each council of governments or delegate subregion, as applicable, in developing the methodology, to consider including several specified factors, including the housing needs generated by the presence of a private university or a campus of the California State University or the University of California within any member jurisdiction.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. October 10, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 517, Statutes of 2025.
2. October 10, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 22, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
4. September 10, 2025Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2831.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
5. September 9, 2025In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
6. September 9, 2025Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3070.) Ordered to the Senate.
7. September 5, 2025Ordered to third reading.
8. September 5, 2025Read third time and amended.
9. September 3, 2025Ordered to third reading.
10. September 3, 2025Read third time and amended.
11. August 21, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
12. August 20, 2025From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 20).