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Tri-Valley Housing and Policy Framework Why Create a Housing & Policy Framework? In late 2018 the staff from the Tri-Valley Cities came together to initiate a conversation around the topic of housing. While housing is a topic included in the broader Legislative Framework, it was apparent that a more in-depth conversation was necessary to effectively educate at the local level and advocate with legislators in Sacramento. Around the same time, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) released the CASA Compact. The Compact includes a series of policy ideas and proposals, which were intended to provide State lawmakers with ideas to address the production, protection, and preservation of housing. It is expected that the CASA Compact will be the foundation or springboard for State-wide legislative efforts on the topic of housing in the coming years. (A summary and initial response to the CASA Compact, and overview of key 2019 legislation is provided later in this report.) Recent history, the magnitude of the affordable housing crisis, as well as the new political landscape in Sacramento makes it clear that simply opposing new legislation is unlikely to be an effective strategy. Instead, and at least in certain areas, the Tri-Valley Cities, individually and collectively, will be best served by collaborating to influence legislative efforts in a variety of ways, including proposing revisions to draft legislation, and working with our State Assembly and Senate representatives, in an effort to shape new housing law as it is developed and proactively address known impacts sooner than later. What's in the Housing Policy and Framework? The document sets the stage with a discussion of the role of the Housing Element and the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process, and also includes an overview of key legislation passed since 2017, including consequential bills such as: "No Net Loss" (SB 166); the Housing Accountability Act (SB 167, AB 678 and AB 1515); and streamlined processing for high density and affordable housing projects (SB 35). The core of the Housing Policy and Framework is five "Key Themes" which summarize consensus positions among the Tri-Valley Cities, to be deployed in efforts to inform, educate and advocate on the topic of housing. They include: • Balanced Solutions — Equal policy consideration to housing, employment, and transportation/transit in proposed solutions. • Provide, Promote, and Protect Affordability — Preserve the existing housing stock, promote new housing with long-term affordability, and ensure that mandated incentives, bonuses, and fee reductions are commensurate with actual affordability. • Context-Sensitive Housing — Ensure policies and laws allow for sensitivity to local context and avoid "one-size-fits-all" approaches. Page 3 of 9