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refinements or clarification to these sections of the Preliminary Report. Additional sections of the Preliminary Report and Housing Element will be brought back at future meetings and will include the draft Housing Sites Inventory and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Assessment. A critical future discussion item will be the evaluation of new or amended policies and programs for potential inclusion in the Housing Element, which staff expects to bring forward, in one or more meetings later this year and into early 2022. In addition to the above, this report provides a summary of community outreach to date including a synopsis of: (1) responses submitted to the community-wide survey; (2) feedback provided at the date community meeting; and (3) comments shared by stakeholders. Next steps in the process are also provided. BACKGROUND Housing Element Overview The Housing Element is part of the City's General Plan and is a comprehensive statement by the community of its current and future housing needs and proposed actions to facilitate the production of housing to meet those needs at all income levels. Periodic update of the Housing Element is required by state law; the element reflects the state's housing goal of"attaining decent housing and a suitable living environment for every California family," as well as incorporating the unique concerns of the community. The next Housing Element update (the 6th Cycle) must be adopted by January 2023, to address the planning period from 2023-2031 . The City formally initiated the Housing Element update process in May 2021 , and most recently held meetings with the Housing Commission and Planning Commission in August, to discuss the draft housing sites selection criteria. The City Council will consider the sites selection criteria at its September 21 , 2021, meeting. An extensive outreach effort has also been launched to seek initial input on the Housing Element, including an initial community meeting, meetings with key stakeholders (such as housing developers and community services providers), and an online community survey. Complete summaries of these efforts and meetings can be found in Exhibits B, C, and D and are discussed further in this report. DISCUSSION As noted in previous meetings, state law establishes a series of very specific requirements as to the scope, content, and process by which a housing element is updated and adopted, including review and approval (known as certification) by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). A very significant part of the Housing Element is the Preliminary Report. The Preliminary Report, specific sections of which will be reviewed in this report (sections in bold), will include all the following required sections once complete: • Introduction • Appendix A - Housing Needs Assessment: Examines demographic, employment and housing trends and conditions that affect the housing needs of the community. • Appendix B - Sites Inventory and Methodology: Identifies locations of available sites for housing development or redevelopment to ensure that there is adequate capacity to address the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). (Forthcoming) Housing Element Update Planning Commission 2 of 11