Report 2021-114 Recommendation 13 Responses

Report 2021-114: State Surplus Property: The State Should Use Its Available Property More Effectively to Help Alleviate the Affordable Housing Crisis (Release Date: March 2022)

Recommendation #13 To: Housing and Community Development, Department of

To better promote development of affordable housing on local surplus land, HCD should, by January 2023, increase outreach as planned to local agencies and interest groups to advise them of the notice requirements of the local surplus property law.

6-Month Agency Response

HCD has ramped up its outreach activities since December 2021 by hosting (currently 19) a series of "SLA 101" presentations to various housing and professional associations that included mentions of the Surplus Land Act. Five (5) presentations with groups including the California Association of Local Housing Finance Authorities and Contract Cities Association and has additional presentations upcoming including at the California League of Cities conference. In addition, the SLA team has submitted conference panel proposals to 3 statewide and regional housing conferences.

In July 2022, HCD released publicly available technical assistance materials and posted the resources on the Public Lands website that included the materials from the above mentioned presentations.

The external stakeholder engagement phase of the SLA Guidelines Revision project has offered additional opportunities to increase outreach and engage with stakeholders. HCD has conducted 11 listening sessions with statewide and local housing stakeholder associations, including groups representing local governments and transit agencies, and 6 listening sessions with local agencies (Cities and Counties). During these sessions, HCD has answered questions regarding the Surplus Land Act and has helped to direct stakeholders to additional resources, including technical assistance, to help in navigating how to comply with the law.

In its regular Surplus Land Act enforcement duties, HCD has submitted 612 SLA letters to agencies and districts and has conducted 478 technical assistance (TA) calls with local agencies and districts.

Going forward, HCD will begin the process of strategic planning for Surplus Land Act activities, including implementation of SB 791, that will include plans for increased outreach and engagement.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

HCD provided us with documentation demonstrating the significant outreach it has conducted regarding local surplus property law.

60-Day Agency Response

o HCD has made progress on updating Technical Assistance materials (e.g., Frequently Asked Questions, an Exemption Guide, and an SLA 101 PowerPoint) and plans to increase awareness through the release of those materials and as part of the Guidelines outreach. More specifically, as HCD reaches out to stakeholders (including developers, advocates, and local jurisdictions) to engage on the guidelines update, it will also ask stakeholders about opportunities to present to their members and partners.

oHCD has also submitted a proposal to present at a conference hosted by the California chapter of the American Planning Association and will submit similar proposals for upcoming regional and statewide affordable housing conferences.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2021-114

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.