Bill Commons

CA AB 36

enacted

Housing elements: prohousing designation.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 36 pass?

Yes. CA AB 36 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-10. Latest recorded action (2025-10-10): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 485, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 36 about?

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development within its boundaries that includes, among other things, a housing element. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to determine whether the housing element is in substantial compliance with specified provisions of that law. Existing law requires HCD to designate jurisdictions as prohousing pursuant to emergency regulations adopted by HCD, as prescribed, and to report those designations to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Existing law specifies that these emergency regulations will remain in effect until HCD promulgates permanent prohousing regulations. This bill would instead require HCD to designate jurisdictions as prohousing pursuant to permanent regulations adopted by HCD to implement these provisions, as specified. Beginning with the 7th housing element cycle, upon request by a small rural jurisdiction, to the extent feasible, the bill would require HCD to evaluate materials from the small rural jurisdiction's housing element submission when determining whether the jurisdiction qualifies as prohousing, but only with respect to those small rural jurisdictions that have a compliant housing element. The bill would also prohibit HCD from requiring small rural jurisdictions to renew their prohousing designation for at least 4 years. The bill would define "small rural jurisdiction" for these purposes to mean either a city with a population of fewer than 25,000 persons or a county with a population of fewer than 200,000 persons. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65589.9 of the Government Code proposed by SB 262 to be operative only if this bill and SB 262 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Who sponsors CA AB 36?

Soria is the primary sponsor of CA AB 36.

Description

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development within its boundaries that includes, among other things, a housing element. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to determine whether the housing element is in substantial compliance with specified provisions of that law. Existing law requires HCD to designate jurisdictions as prohousing pursuant to emergency regulations adopted by HCD, as prescribed, and to report those designations to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Existing law specifies that these emergency regulations will remain in effect until HCD promulgates permanent prohousing regulations. This bill would instead require HCD to designate jurisdictions as prohousing pursuant to permanent regulations adopted by HCD to implement these provisions, as specified. Beginning with the 7th housing element cycle, upon request by a small rural jurisdiction, to the extent feasible, the bill would require HCD to evaluate materials from the small rural jurisdiction's housing element submission when determining whether the jurisdiction qualifies as prohousing, but only with respect to those small rural jurisdictions that have a compliant housing element. The bill would also prohibit HCD from requiring small rural jurisdictions to renew their prohousing designation for at least 4 years. The bill would define "small rural jurisdiction" for these purposes to mean either a city with a population of fewer than 25,000 persons or a county with a population of fewer than 200,000 persons. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65589.9 of the Government Code proposed by SB 262 to be operative only if this bill and SB 262 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Introduced
2025-03-19
Latest action
2025-10-10 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 485, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Soriaauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2024-12-02

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2024-12-03

    From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.

  3. 2025-02-03

    Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and L. GOV.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-18

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  5. 2025-03-19

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on H. & C.D. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  6. 2025-03-20

    Re-referred to Com. on H. & C.D.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  8. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  9. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 30).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  10. 2025-05-01

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  11. 2025-05-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 1485.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  12. 2025-05-08

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  13. 2025-05-21

    Referred to Com. on HOUSING.

    referral-committee

  14. 2025-07-16

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  15. 2025-08-13

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  16. 2025-08-18

    (Ayes 27. Noes 0. Page 2173.)

  17. 2025-08-18

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  18. 2025-08-25

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  19. 2025-08-26

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  20. 2025-08-29

    From Consent Calendar.

  21. 2025-08-29

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  22. 2025-09-04

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  23. 2025-09-08

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  24. 2025-09-09

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2667.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  25. 2025-09-09

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  26. 2025-09-10

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3210.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  27. 2025-09-22

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  28. 2025-10-10

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  29. 2025-10-10

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 485, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 12/02/24 - Introduced — 2024-12-02Compare
  • 03/19/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-19Compare
  • 08/18/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-08-18Compare
  • 09/04/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-04Compare
  • 09/12/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-12Compare
  • 10/10/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-10Compare
  • AB36Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-09 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (12)
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-23 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (10)
    • Ransom: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Hoover: yes

  • Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

    2025-04-30 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Pellerin: other

  • AB 36 Soria Consent Calendar Second Day

    2025-05-08 · pass · 69-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Gabriel: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Carrillo: other
    • Arambula: other
    • Irwin: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Wallis: other
    • Flora: other
    • Boerner: other
    • Sanchez: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-15 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Cabaldon: other

  • 3rd Reading AB36 Soria By Padilla

    2025-09-09 · pass · 40-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Blakespear: yes

  • AB 36 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-11 · pass · 79-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Addis: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Tangipa: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB36

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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