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Selma council tables housing-element rezoning item, requests property-notice records amid HCD deadline concern
Summary
Councilmember raised concerns about property-notification records for proposed rezones in the housing element; the council voted 4–1 to table the item to allow staff to provide documentation and confirm any HCD deadline.
A motion to table a citywide housing-element rezone inventory passed 4–1 at Selma City Council’s April 1 meeting after a councilmember said he had not received copies of letters mailed to impacted property owners.
Councilmember Avalos said he needed more time to review notices sent to affected parcels and asked staff to provide the actual letters the city mailed. Deputy City Manager Jerome (title used in the meeting) told the council the letters were sent to property owners identified for rezoning and that staff had received at least one call from a property owner. He said the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) conditional approval letter and public notices had been included in staff reports for prior planning commission and council hearings.
Why it matters: The rezone inventory is a required step for a certified housing element under state law; without a certified housing element the city risks losing access to certain housing and sustainability grants, staff said. Council members expressed a desire to ensure property owners had been directly notified before approving the inventory.
Council action and rationale
Councilmember Avalos moved to table the item to the next meeting; the motion carried on a roll-call vote 4–1: Councilmembers Avalos, Oseguera, Mayor Pro Tem Guerra and Mayor Robertson voted to table; Councilmember Trujillo voted no. Deputy City Manager and planning staff said they would produce copies of the mailed letters and confirm the HCD conditional-approval deadline so the council could determine whether tabling would jeopardize certification or grant eligibility.
Legal and procedural context
Staff said the city complied with public-notice requirements for a housing-element update that affects more than 1,000 people, including publishing an eighth-page ad in the local paper (the staff report listed The Sun‑Gazette/Sentinel circulation title used for legal notice). City Attorney Constanza said the city can pursue a single, comprehensive ordinance addressing licensing, leash laws, spay/neuter and anti-dumping provisions; she noted that mandatory spay/neuter tied to licensing is legally viable but typically requires a licensing trigger.
Ending: Council directed staff to provide the copies of mailed notices and to confirm any HCD timeline after the meeting. The council asked staff to confirm whether an April 15 deadline would be implicated and to return with materials before resuming the vote.
