SB 375: Sustainable Community Strategies Resources

(summary from Housing CA.) Senate Bill 375 or SB 375 (Senator Darrell Steinberg) was built on California's 2006 climate change law (AB 32) and the "regional blueprint plan" developed in the Sacramento region. The new law's core provision is a requirement for regional transportation agencies to develop a "Sustainable Communities Strategy" in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from driving. The Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) is one component of the existing Regional Transportation Plan.

The SCS will outline the region's plan for combining transportation resources, such as roads and mass transit, with a realistic land use pattern, in order to meet a state target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy must take into account the region's housing needs, transportation demands, and protection of resource and farm lands. The state will allocate $17 billion a year to transportation projects that are consistent with an SCS.

Additionally, SB 375 modified Housing Element Law to achieve consistency between the land use pattern outlined in the SCS and Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation. The legislation also substantially improved cities' and counties' accountability for carrying out their housing element plans.

Lastly, SB 375 amended the California Environmental Quality Act to ease the environmental review of developments that help reduce the growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

SB 375 has the ability to be an impactful and useful tool for affordable home development in the state and because many of us still need to learn more about it and how we can use it, SCANPH will be posting SB 375 resources online on our website beginning in May, 2010, here on this webpage.

List of SB 375 Resources

LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION

Link to the State Legislature's Analysis of SB 375 is available here
http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0351-0400/sb_375_cfa_20080818_153416_asm_comm.html

ANALYSIS

An article by Michael Howerton on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities on SB 375 and affordable homes
http://p4sc.org/FA__CA_Housing_Elem_1.html

A summary of SB 375 by Housing California is available here
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS101_billsum.pdf

A slide presentation by Housing CA on SB 375
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS101_preso_HousingCA.pdf

A primer of the acronyms of sustainable communities by Housing Californa is available here
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS101_acronyms.pdf 

AFFORDABLE HOMES ADVOCATES MATERIALS

A list of opportunities to address home affordability in regional modeling by Housing California is available here
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS101_ModelingAfford.pdf

A guide for advocates from Housing California is available here
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS101_RegionalModeling.pdf

Center for Neighbohood Technology Transportation and Housing Index
http://www.htaindex.org/

IMPLEMENTATION DOCUMENTS

Timeline on SB 375 Implementation in Los Angeles
http://www.housingca.org/resources/SCS_timeline_SCAG_2010_04_21.pdf

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