San Gabriel council moves to introduce ordinances updating ADU and urban-dwelling rules to match new state law

The San Gabriel City Council voted 5–0 on June 16 to approve staff’s recommendation to proceed with amendments to the municipal code that implement new state rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), junior ADUs (JADUs) and urban dwelling units (UDUs), including introduction of ordinances 7-28 and 7-29.

Associate Planner Marlon Cervantes opened the presentation by summarizing the scope of the proposed zone-text amendment: “The item before you tonight is a citywide zone text amendment to update the San Gabriel municipal code relating to accessory dwelling units, junior accessory dwelling units, and urban dwelling units.” Cervantes walked council through multiple state measures referenced in the staff report and the specific code changes staff recommended, including measuring ADU and JADU floor area by interior living space, increasing the number of detached ADUs allowed on multifamily lots (from 2 to up to 8 depending on existing units), ministerial approval timelines and new limits around demolition for UDUs that exclude certain protected units.

During council questions, members focused on how the laws affect short-term rentals, design review and local control. Cervantes confirmed the state changes reinforce that junior ADUs “shall not be rented for a period less than 30 days,” and that many approvals will be ministerial unless an application exceeds specified size thresholds. After discussion, Councilwoman Menchaca moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Wu and passed unanimously, 5–0. The council’s action authorizes staff to introduce the ordinances and bring the matter back for the required second reading and adoption according to the city’s ordinance procedures.

What changed: the amendments largely align local code with several recently signed bills cited in the staff presentation (as read into the record), including multiple Assembly and Senate measures that staff said are intended to encourage ADU production by limiting certain local objective standards and setting statutory timelines. The staff presentation also noted that the proposed changes were reviewed under state CEQA guidelines and found not to be a project with a significant environmental impact under the cited exemptions.

Next steps: staff will return with the formal ordinance readings and a schedule for the second reading and adoption. The council’s motion did not adopt the ordinances tonight; it authorized the introduction step and progression of the formal process.