Local zoning vs. state rules: ballot initiative to wait until 2026
by Garth Meyer Grass roots organizers for a constitutional amendment to prevent the state from interfering with local zoning laws say they will move their target ballot date from 2024 to 2026, after a report from Attorney General Rob Bonta. On September 18, for the measure’s title and summary, Bonta wrote that it “limits (the) state’s ability to set land-use and housing policy” and “provides that local laws automatically override conflicting state land-use and zoning laws (including those for affordable housing), unless such state laws addressed specific statewide concerns.” The review is required before organizers start to gather signatures. Nils Nehrenheim, Redondo Beach city councilman, said Bonta’s statement is “false, misleading, and likely to create prejudice against the initiative.” He said the measure does not, as Bonta wrote, “provide that local laws automatically override conflicting state land-use and zoning laws, (including those for affordable housing).” “It does no such thing,” Nehrenheim said. “It gives communities the power to shape local growth in a way that better meets affordable housing requirements – and it restores the ability of local communities to…
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