Folsom Council opposes SB 802, citing concern over state‑mandated JPA and loss of local control

Desmond Perrington, planning manager in the community development department, briefed the council on Senate Bill 802 (Ashby), which in earlier drafts proposed creating a Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Authority to administer federal and state homelessness funds and to centralize regional housing funds and impact fees.

Perrington said later revisions clarified protections for entitlement jurisdictions that receive HUD funds directly and stated impact fees collected in a jurisdiction would be spent there, but key concerns remain: that the bill would effectively mandate JPA membership, could transfer local control of housing funds to a regional authority and may limit a city’s ability to apply independently for state and federal housing dollars.

Council debate stressed preservation of local control. One councilor said, “There is no change that could be made to this language that would cause me to support this bill…this is a bill about state control versus local control.” Another councilor said the state mandating a JPA sets a troubling precedent and could lead to litigation. The council voted unanimously to oppose SB 802 and instructed staff to communicate that position to legislators and partner jurisdictions.