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Palos Verdes Estates council adopts urgency ordinance to align ADU rules with new state law
Summary
The Palos Verdes Estates City Council on Jan. 14 adopted an urgency ordinance amending chapter 18.45 of the municipal code to conform local accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and junior ADU rules to recent state law changes, waiving full reading and finding the ordinance exempt from CEQA.
The Palos Verdes Estates City Council adopted an urgency ordinance on Jan. 14 to update local rules for accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs to match recent changes in California law. City staff said the updates address coastal development permit timing, JADU owner‑occupancy rules, unit size measurements, impact‑fee exemptions for small units and ministerial permit processing.
The measure was introduced by Community Development Director Cheryl Bridal, who outlined requirements the city must meet, including a 60‑day timeline for coastal development permit decisions when a CDP is required and the state’s new rules on junior ADU owner occupancy and short‑term rental prohibitions. Bridal told the council that some prior local code language — for example, deed‑restriction requirements for certain JADUs — was corrected as part of the urgency ordinance.
City staff said the urgency adoption is intended to prevent the city’s ADU ordinance from becoming void or reverting to default state standards, a change they warned could harm neighborhood character and privacy. Bridal said the ordinance retains several local standards where state law permits, including local lot‑coverage and open‑space limits and the city’s current height‑measurement method.
Council members discussed the tension between following state requirements and preserving local controls. One council member warned of potential legal conflicts with local CC&Rs and invoked the contracts clause of the U.S. Constitution as part of a protest vote, but said the urgency adoption was preferable to having no ADU ordinance in place. The council unanimously adopted the ordinance by voice vote after a motion and second were recorded.
By adopting the urgency ordinance, staff must submit the updated ordinance to the California Department of Housing and Community Development within the statutory timeframe or risk the ordinance becoming invalid if HCD finds noncompliance. Council members asked staff to return with the ordinance text and further implementation steps as the matter proceeds through the usual planning commission and appeal processes.
