TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Masa Alkire, AICP, Community Development Department Director
Adam Finestone, AICP, Planning Manager
Ted Faturos, Senior Planner
SUBJECT:Title
Discussion of the Potential Goals and an Operating Timeline for an Ad-Hoc Housing Task Force in Connection with the Next Housing Element Cycle (Potential Budget Impact) (Community Department Director Alkire).
(Estimated Time: 30 Min.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive a presentation and provide direction regarding the potential creation of an ad hoc Housing Task Force, including direction on the goals, scope of work, operating timeline, and composition of the Task Force.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action. However, staff time and resources may be expended to coordinate the operations of a Housing Task Force if a body is established. If a consultant is retained by the City to provide support for the Task Force, then there will be costs associated with the consultant contract.
BACKGROUND:
The Housing Element is a legally required part of the City’s General Plan that establishes how the City will address its housing needs over an eight-year period (referred to as a ‘Cycle’ by the State of California). The Housing Element is required to assess the City’s housing needs and identify sites where housing can be accommodated. The document must include policies and programs to meet the State’s Housing requirements, including a mandated number of housing units referred to as the City’s share of the regional housing needs allocation (RHNA). The City is currently operating under the 6th Cycle Housing Element, which covers the period from 2021 to 2029. The City is now beginning the process of preparing the 7th Cycle Housing Element, which will cover 2029 through 2037.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the regional planning organization that will be working on the RHNA for cities in Southern California in 2027 and 2028. SCAG covers six counties (Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial) and 191 cities, with 18.7 million people living in the region under SCAG’s jurisdiction. Per SCAG’s website, “RHNA is a state-required process to determine housing needs at all income levels in California communities… Every jurisdiction must plan for its RHNA allocation in the housing element of its general plan by ensuring there are enough sites and zoning to accommodate its RHNA allocation.” The number of RHNA units that SCAG will assign to the City plays a significant role in the content of the future Housing Element.
DISCUSSION:
On May 19, 2026, the City Council directed staff to explore the creation of an ad hoc Housing Task Force to help the City thoughtfully address its housing needs in connection with the 7th Cycle Housing Element.
Other Cities
Staff reviewed what efforts, if any, other Southern California cities have undertaken to create housing policy task forces or advisory bodies that are independent of a Planning Commission or similar body. Staff could not find examples of any type of standing housing policy task force in other cities. Staff did find, however, many examples of ad-hoc task forces or advisory bodies that were created as part of the review and creation of local jurisdictions’ Housing Element, Land Use Element, and/or General Plan. Cities that created this type of task force include Azusa, Carlsbad, Pasadena, and Newport Beach (see Attachments).
These types of advisory task forces varied in composition, duties, number of meetings, and other factors.
Public Engagement for 6th Cycle Housing Element
Although the City did not have a Housing Task Force during the drafting and adoption of the 6th Cycle Housing Element, the City crafted the document in a public process that was informed by feedback from stakeholders, the Planning Commission and City Council. The City held a stakeholder workshop in August 2021, and subsequently held multiple public hearings at both the Planning Commission and City Council in 2021 and 2022. This public process, along with extensive consultation with HCD, resulted in the establishment of the Residential Overlay District (ROD) as the primary means to accommodate the City’s state-mandated housing obligation for the 6th Cycle Housing Element (RHNA). The City's 6th Cycle Housing Element was certified by HCD after the City submitted it for review on May 31, 2023.
Status of 7th Cycle Housing Element
SCAG’s recently published timeline for evaluating RNHA for the 7th Cycle Housing Element is as follows:
• August 2026: RHNA Subcommittee kickoff meeting
• October 2026: The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) issues the Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) to SCAG for the portion of the state under SCAG’s jurisdiction
• September 2026-April 2027: SCAG develops the RHNA allocation methodology. SCAG is eventually responsible for assigning a RHNA number to every jurisdiction under its purview, including Manhattan Beach
• Spring-Summer 2027: Public hearings and comment period on the allocation methodology
• October 2027: Draft RHNA allocation methodology submitted to HCD
• April 2028: Release of draft RHNA allocation plan
• Spring-Summer 2028: RHNA appeals hearings
• October 2028: Adoption of final RHNA allocation plan
As dictated by current housing law, the City would have to adopt the 7th Cycle Housing Element before October 2029, which is the date that the 6th Cycle Housing Element will expire.
Housing Task Force Goals, Timeline, and Composition
Staff is seeking specific direction from the City Council on identifying the Housing Task Force’s goals and scope of work.
Staff also seeks City Council input on when the Housing Task Force should start meeting. Staff recommends that the Housing Task Force’s work coincide with SCAG’s request for local jurisdictions’ input on the RHNA process, as well as the City’s initial preparatory work on the 7th Cycle Housing Element. Based on these suggested parameters, Staff recommends that a local Housing Task Force be formed by January 1, 2027, in order for the Task Force to contribute to the City’s input into the SCAG’s development of RHNA allocation methodology.
As can be seen in the Attachments, the characteristics of advisory bodies across different cities vary widely in terms of membership size and composition (elected officials, commission members, residents, etc.). Staff recommends that the City Council select a few broad parameters that can guide the future shape of the Housing Task Force. First, Staff recommends that the Housing Task Force be limited to between seven and nine members to ensure efficient and effective direction can be provided. Beyond that, other parameters that Staff recommends the City Council consider relate to the composition and organization of the Task Force. Specifically, Staff seeks direction on the following related to the Task Force’s composition:
1) Should the Housing Task Force be a two-person subcommittee comprised solely of two City Council members?
2) Should the Task Force include Planning Commission representation?
3) Should the Task Force include members from geographically distinct areas of the City (i.e., both east and west of Sepulveda Boulevard, from all area districts, etc.)
4) Should the Task Force include representatives from the business community and/or development industry?
There are Brown Act considerations if the Task Force includes Council members and/or City Commissioners; therefore, threshold questions regarding the composition of the Task Force include: whether the Council wants to include up to two Councilmembers and/or two Planning Commissioners to sit on the Task Force; or if the Task Force should consist solely of members of the community. Among other factors, the composition of the Task Force will determine whether the Task Force is subject to the Brown Act, as opposed to being an ad hoc committee. Regardless of the Brown Act public notice requirements, Task Force meetings are intended to be publicly noticed and open to public participation.
Based on the Council’s direction regarding the Housing Task Force, number of members, and membership composition, Staff will return to the City Council at a future meeting in accordance with Council direction.
An option Staff recommends the City Council explore is the hiring of a consultant who can help support the Housing Task Force. This consultant can provide subject matter expertise, including identifying how the City can meaningfully participate in the SCAG process and other actions the City could take regarding State housing law.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
For this item initiating discussion on this topic, staff has determined that public outreach was not required. Future public outreach will be conducted based on direction received from the City Council at this meeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. May 19, 2026 - City Council Staff Report (Web-Link Provided)
2. SCAG 101 Fact Sheet
3. City of Azusa Housing for All- Website Printed Webpage
4. City of Carlsbad Housing Element Advisory Committee- Printed Webpage
5. Pasadena Housing Element Task Force Meeting #1 Summary
6. Newport Beach Resolution No 2022-59 Creating the General Plan Advisory Committee
7. PowerPoint Presentation