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6 | THE COLONY NEWS | DECEMBER 2021 | HOA NEWS By Daryl Hansen In 2021, the Governor signed into law three bills that will increase housing density in California. The legislature views them as necessary to create more affordable housing. The exact effect those laws have will normally depend on the circumstances in particular neighborhoods, and likely will have minimal impact on community associations such as The Colony. We are already affected by prior legislation which allows an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to be constructed on a lot which meets certain square footage requirements. The law also allows the conversion of a garage into a living space, called a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU), if certain requirements are met. The three new laws essentially put the State in control of building standards and require the cities and counties to follow them. In most cases, if the building projects meet the State standards, the laws mandate specific streamlined approval processes for those projects. So, what are these bills? SB8 extends the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 until January 1, 2030. This law is designed to "jump start" more housing production by holding in place most current housing laws, preventing further local restrictions and "encouraging" local agencies to make rules to encourage more affordable housing. SB9 is referred to as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). It has been described by many as a law to do away with single family residence zoning. It does not do this by preventing the construction of a single- family residence or the building of a single-family residence project. It does this by mandating that landowners cannot be prevented from building a duplex on the lot or splitting the lot to then construct duplexes on each of the split lots. That means four living units on a single lot in a formerly single- family neighborhood. However, there are some experts who say that could be six units under limited circumstances. If the "project" meets the State standards, the agencies are required to ministerially (i.e., law allowing no personal discretion, only the strict following of law) approve the projects, without notice to the community, and cannot require compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). There are limited provisions in place to prevent displacement of existing renters and to protect certain existing protected areas. Opponents say that such a project would increase the value of the subject lots and decrease the value of adjacent and neighborhood properties, without homeowners having had any kind of voice in the process. SB10 doesn't seem to have a fancy name, but it is designed to provide a voluntary process to streamline construction of multifamily projects of up to 10 units per parcel in certain areas. These parcels would generally have to be an "urban infill" site or be in a "transit-rich area," both of which are defined in the law. Finally, move is afoot by opposition to put a Proposition on the 2022 ballot to not only repeal most of this legislation, but prevent the legislature from passing such future enabling legislation. This would return housing control to the local communities. California High Density Housing Legislation Due to the recent vehicle and mailbox break-ins within the community, we have visited the city of Murrieta's website to gather some important and helpful information to pass on to our residents. HOME SECURITY Often in burglaries, statistics have shown that no force was used. There's almost one burglary every two minutes! In nearly half of these burglaries, no force is used. That means the burglars got in through UNLOCKED doors and windows. Always lock your doors and windows even when leaving for just a minute. Never leave a house key available: under a doormat, in a flower pot, or on the ledge of the door. These are the first places a burglar will look. Exterior doors should have "dead bolt" locks with a one inch strong metal bar extending into the door frame. Use timers so that lights, radio, and TV go on and off throughout the house to indicate someone is home. Consider alarm systems. Operation I.D. Mark your valuables with your driver license number preceded by the letters CA. Burglars don't want marked merchandise because it is difficult to fence and evidence of guilt if they are caught. Post Operation I.D. stickers in doors and windows to warn housebreakers to stay away. Photograph those items that cannot be engraved (jewelry, silverware, antiques). Law enforcement officers can't be everywhere at once, but you and your neighbors can. You're the ones who really know what's HOME & VEHICLE SAFETY Continued on following page

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