City attorney urges council to monitor revived SB 450, flags possible costs to cities

City Attorney Murphy told the council that Senate Bill 450—revived late last week and related to SB9 lot splits and duplexes—may pose operational burdens for cities and that the League of California Cities is recommending municipalities consider letters of opposition.

Murphy highlighted two provisions of concern: a 60-day statutory deadline for cities to approve or deny an SB9 application (with denials required to provide a full explanation of deficiencies) and a restriction on applying objective standards differently than other developments in the same zone. "That's a potentially huge cost to cities," Murphy said, noting that meeting the fast turnaround and drafting detailed denial explanations could require significant staff resources.

Murphy said the provision limiting standards could impede a city's ability to account for impacts a duplex might have in a single-family zone—such as massing, lot-line or scale concerns—and could therefore alter how objective standards are applied in practice. He said the bill appeared to be in committee and suggested the city manager or individual council members could pursue one-on-one discussions with the bill's sponsors or the League before deciding whether to bring a letter of opposition back on a future consent calendar.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the bill's status; Murphy said he believed it was still in committee. No formal direction or letter was adopted at the meeting; Murphy recommended monitoring the bill and consulting with the League of California Cities.

Next steps: City staff and council members may pursue follow-up with the League or the bill's author; council could consider a formal letter of opposition at a future meeting if they choose to act.