The Laguna Hills City Council unanimously voted on May 24 to oppose California’s Assembly Bill 2011, which would allow affordable housing units to be built on properties zoned for office, retail, or parking use.
The bill, introduced by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks in February, would require the city to approve affordable housing projects regardless of inconsistencies with the city’s general plan and exempt these projects from undergoing environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, according to city officials.
“This is just one more attempt by Sacramento to erode our sovereignty as cities and our ability to govern ourselves,” Mayor Pro Tempore Janine Heft said ahead of the vote. “Affordable housing is a need, but shoving it down our throats and giving us no ability to make our own decisions is just something that is dead wrong.”…