Placer County charter review committee approves final report, forwards advisory on rural land use amid Penryn backlash

Placer County’s Charter Review Committee voted to approve its final report and send it to the Board of Supervisors, forwarding three formal charter recommendations and an advisory comment urging attention to rural land‑use concerns.

Ben Mills of the county executive office told the committee the report "represents the culmination of an 8‑month publicly engaged review process," and said the recommendations include updates to the process for filling board vacancies, steps to improve competitiveness in hiring the county executive officer, and changes to the methodology for setting compensation.

The committee’s discussion and public comment focused heavily on housing policy and the character of small communities. Aaron Rudolph, who said he lives in District 4 and Penryn, urged the committee to recommend charter changes that would make it "a super majority, 4 to 5 votes" to approve projects that override community plans and to require independent legal review before accepting state mandates. "So make it a super majority vote for rezoning," he said.

Diane Louise Lehi of the Christian Valley Park Community Services District criticized what she called misinformation about legal challenges elsewhere and urged stronger home‑rule protections, saying some jurisdictions "still have cards on the table" and could pursue federal appeals. Donna Delno, a Penryn resident, told the panel the local opposition has attracted media attention and said residents reject projects they view as out of scale with their neighborhood.

Committee members debated how to reflect those concerns in the report. Some argued for moving language that stresses protection of rural and low‑density areas into the preamble or staff comments, while others warned the charter may not be the right legal vehicle to override state processes such as RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation). One member suggested referencing the county’s Annual Performance Report (APR) to underscore delivery shortfalls for affordable housing.

Staff clarified existing county practice on affordable housing requirements: projects under 100 units may pay an in‑lieu fee, while developments above 100 units must construct 10% affordable housing (allocated 4% very low, 4% low and 2% moderate). Ben Mills outlined the next steps if the Board accepts recommendations: the board would docket the items, may amend or approve them, and if approved staff would draft ballot language and coordinate with the clerk/recorder.

After debate the committee approved the final report by roll call vote and directed staff to forward it to the Board of Supervisors for consideration and any further drafting of ballot materials. The committee also voted to designate Dan Woodward as its representative to present the report to the board at an upcoming meeting, with a backup to attend as needed.

The report is expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors at a March or April public meeting; the board will decide whether to act on recommendations, amend them, or move forward with ballot language and timelines.