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Encinitas forms RHNA review subcommittee to press SANDAG and HCD for updated housing projections
Summary
Council created a subcommittee (Mayor Bruce Ehlers plus a councilmember) to refine and return a letter asking SANDAG and the California HCD to revisit regional housing projections and RHNA allocations; subcommittee to return to council with a proposed letter by March 19.
The Encinitas City Council agreed to create a council subcommittee to refine and return a letter asking the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to review regional population and housing projections used to set RHNA allocations.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers and a council colleague will work with staff and the city’s lobbyist to draft an Encinitas-specific letter that incorporates recent audits and regional requests for revised projections. The draft will return to the full council at a meeting scheduled for March 19. The subcommittee model was selected to allow staff to work with two council members under the Brown Act and then present a single staff-subcommittee product to the council for approval.
The staff background cited several concerns raised by cities and regional agencies, including a SANDAG letter and an audit report noting possible inaccuracies in HCD's needs-assessment procedures. The staff memo the council reviewed listed recent demographic indicators and SANDAG forecasting items — including a fifteenth regional forecast showing demographic shifts and vacancy-rate changes — as reasons to seek a reexamination. Public comment included calls to press the state for a recalculation of RHNA that reflects updated population trends.
Council authorized the mayor and a designated councilmember to serve as an RHNA Reform Subcommittee and asked staff to return with a near-final draft at the March 19 meeting. Council expects the subcommittee and staff to coordinate with regional partners, the city's lobbyist, and Cal Cities to align the letter and any legislative or administrative follow-up. The motion carried unanimously.
Ending — Next steps
Mayor and the assigned councilmember will work with staff and the city’s lobbyist to produce a draft letter for council consideration on March 19. The council asked staff to include references to SANDAG materials, the state auditor findings, and any relevant Cal Cities or regional requests to ensure the letter reflects existing regional action and audit findings.
