Assembly committee advances package on housing, solar and permitting; San Diego SANDAG board change held

In a hearing of the California State Assembly Government Committee, members voted to advance a group of bills targeting permitting, housing production and renewable energy while declining to move a measure that would change how San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board seats are selected.

The package included measures to speed restaurant openings (AB 671), expand a solar easement program for water-constrained farmland (AB 1156), require centralized permit-tracking portals in larger cities (AB 920), allow limited SB 9-type development in historic districts with design limits (AB 1061), create temporary-permitted manufactured-housing pathways after disasters (AB 818), clarify post-entitlement permit timelines (AB 660), authorize third-party inspections for small residential projects (AB 1308 / AB 13 08), and allow downtown revitalization financing districts statewide (AB 1445). Committee members approved most of those bills as amended and referred them to the next committee(s) listed below.

Why it matters: Committee members and industry witnesses said the bills aim to reduce predictable, administrative delays that increase costs and deter housing and business investment, and to modernize an underused solar easement program so lands with severe water limits can be repurposed for permitted renewable energy projects. Supporters characterized the package as part of a broader “fast‑track” effort to accelerate permitting timelines and downtown recovery after the pandemic. Opponents urged more local input on several items and raised equity and farmland-preservation concerns on others.

What the committee did

Votes at a glance: - AB 24 (DiMaio) — SANDAG board composition: held in committee without recommendation after failing to receive a second. The author sought to allocate one of the two county-appointed SANDAG seats to an Association of Planning Groups representative to give unincorporated, rural communities a guaranteed voice; committee members requested more local input. (Status at hearing: held/left open.)

- AB 671 (Wicks) — Restaurant permitting: passed as amended to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. The bill creates an optional front-end plan-review pathway that lets qualified architects and engineers self-certify conversions of existing facilities to restaurants, with randomized audits and remaining inspection requirements. Support: California Restaurant Association and multiple restaurateurs. (Referred: Business & Professions.)

- AB 1156 (Wicks) — Solar use easements / Williamson Act lands: passed as amended to the Utilities and Energy Committee. The bill updates the solar-use-easement framework for lands under Williamson Act contract on which agriculture is no longer viable because of water constraints; it clarifies CEQA will apply, removes the California Energy Commission from certain roles, allows local governments discretion on non‑renewal and community benefits, and preserves the contract suspension approach rather than rescission. Supporters noted only three projects have used the easement since 2011; opponents (county and farm groups) asked for stronger local mitigation authority. (Referred: Utilities & Energy.)

- AB 920 (Carlos) — Centralized housing-permit portal: passed as amended to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill requires cities and counties above a population threshold to operate a centralized online application portal so applicants can track housing-permit status and next steps. Supporters said the change improves transparency and speeds approvals; no committee opposition recorded. (Referred: Housing.)

- AB 1061 (Quirk‑Silva) — SB 9 and historic districts: passed as amended to the Appropriations Committee. The bill would allow certain SB 9 duplexes or small lot splits on contributing properties in historic districts while protecting character-defining features; it continues to exclude individually designated landmarks. Supporters said limits (for example, no more than 25% demolition of exterior wall area) balance historic preservation and housing production. (Referred: Appropriations.)

- AB 818 (Avila‑Farias) — Temporary manufactured housing after disasters: passed as amended to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill streamlines permitting for temporary manufactured homes on single‑family lots after disasters, sets timelines for utility connections and exempts affected properties from certain Title 24 solar requirements during recovery. Amendments addressed school‑facilities fee concerns raised by school‑funding stakeholders. (Referred: Housing.)

- AB 660 (Lisbonbee) — Post‑entitlement permit timelines: passed as amended to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill tightens shot‑clock timelines, limits excessive resubmittals and late field changes, and authorizes judicial remedies (writ of mandate) where a complete application meeting standards is not acted on within the statutory timeframes. Sponsored by the building industry and housing groups. (Referred: Housing.)

- AB 1308 / AB 13 08 (Wicks) — Third‑party inspections: passed as amended to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill allows licensed, insured third‑party inspectors for residential projects of 1–10 units under 40 feet if a local building department cannot complete required inspections within 30 days; local agencies retain review and oversight authority. Supporters framed the change as a way to unblock completed units that otherwise sit vacant awaiting inspection. (Referred: Housing.)

- AB 1445 (Author accepted amendments) — Downtown recovery financing districts: passed as amended to the Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill would expand a mechanism (currently used in San Francisco after AB 2488) so other cities can form districts that capture incremental property‑tax increases to finance conversions of commercial sites to affordable, mixed‑use housing. Support from tourism, downtown and business groups. (Referred: Housing.)

Discussion highlights and key testimony

- SANDAG and rural voice (AB 24): Assemblymember Bill DiMaio said “The unincorporated areas of San Diego County represent about 600,000 population.” DiMaio argued redistricting left county supervisors representing many cities and that giving one of the two county appointee seats to an Association of Planning Groups (APG) representative would preserve rural perspectives on transportation investments, including State Route 67. Some committee members asked for additional local consultation; without a second the bill was not advanced at this hearing.

- Restaurant permitting (AB 671): Assemblymember Wicks said the bill “responsibly reduces barriers to opening new restaurants in California by fast tracking front end plan review.” Witnesses from the restaurant industry, including Silvio Ferrari and Matt Sutton of the California Restaurant Association, said permitting delays are a recurring problem for small, independent restaurants and that audited self‑certification has worked in other large cities.

- Solar easements / Williamson Act (AB 1156): Kara Martinson of the Large Scale Solar Association told the committee the existing solar‑easement program “isn’t working” and that state data show only three projects permitted since 2011; proponents argued the bill modernizes eligibility and protects CEQA review and local discretion. Rural county representatives and agricultural groups voiced continuing concerns about mitigation, fencing and non‑renewal authority; the author accepted amendments removing the California Energy Commission from certain roles and clarifying CEQA, among other changes.

- Permitting and housing (AB 660, AB 920, AB 1308): Multiple witnesses from housing advocates and industry (California YIMBY, Abundant Housing LA, CBIA, Apartment Association) urged tighter timelines and clearer remedies to address long delays that add cost and risk. Nolan Gray (California YIMBY) described inspection backlog delays as a bottleneck that can leave completed, entitled units vacant pending inspection.

Quotes from the hearing

- Assemblymember Bill DiMaio (author, AB 24): “The unincorporated areas of San Diego County represent about 600,000 population.”

- Assemblymember Wicks (author, AB 671): “AB 671 responsibly reduces barriers to opening new restaurants in California by fast tracking front end plan review.”

- Kara Martinson (Large Scale Solar Association, witness on AB 1156): “This is an entirely optional program, full CEQA. These projects will ultimately pay property tax, and there's a community benefit associated outside of a fee.”

What did not change at this hearing

- The committee did not adopt substantive changes to the weighted‑vote structure at SANDAG; AB 24 did not address weighted voting and the author said the bill was intentionally limited to board composition for unincorporated representation.

Next steps and outlook

- Most passed bills were referred to the next policy committees named above; each will require further committee hearings (and some are triple‑referred) before possible floor action. Committee members signaled they expect continued negotiation on details such as local mitigation authority for solar projects, safeguards to preserve prime farmland, and cost and equity guardrails for third‑party inspection fees.

Ending note: Committee members and a broad slate of business, labor, agriculture and local‑government witnesses framed these measures as incremental, technical fixes intended to reduce known permitting bottlenecks. The lone bill seeking a different appointment mechanism for SANDAG remained held after members asked for more local engagement.