What is the Housing Element?

The Housing Element is one of the nine mandatory chapters, or elements, required by State law to be included in a city’s General Plan. The Housing Element sets forth goals, policies, and actions that help the City plan for the housing needs for all segments of the City’s population and that expresses community housing goals. The Housing Element must be updated every eight years and is reviewed by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for compliance with State law. Most critically, the Housing Element identifies strategies to meet the existing and projected housing needs of people of all ages and incomes.

When was La Mirada’s previous Housing Element prepared?

The City's previous Housing Element was adopted by the City Council on February 11, 2014 per Resolution No. 14-05. 

Because the Housing Element is updated frequently, the previous element provides a foundation for this update. This update gives us the opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which parts have been effective and which should be improved.

What topics must the Housing Element address?

The Housing Element must cover the following topics:

•    An analysis of the City’s demographic and housing characteristics and trends, including the number of people living in overcrowded housing, people paying more for their homes than they can sustainably afford, people with special housing needs, and affordable units at risk of converting to market rate.

•    A review of market, governmental, and environmental constraints to meeting the City’s housing needs

•    An evaluation of resources available to address Azusa’s “fair share” of regional housing (see discussion below of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment)

•    An evaluation of progress implementing programs in the previous Housing Element

•    A Housing Plan that includes housing goals, policies, and programs that the City will adopt to assist development of housing for different income and special needs groups, ensure equal housing opportunity, and preserve and improve the existing housing stock

What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), and how does it relate to the Housing Element?

Every General Plan must contain a Housing Element that makes "adequate provision for the existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community."  The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) assigns growth allocations to regional governments, and those regional bodies in turn distribute “fair share” housing goals, or construction targets, to local cities and counties.  As noted above, SCAG is the regional agency that develops these goals for cities in Southern California. The 2021-2029 RHNA for La Mirada is 1,926 residential units, divided into four categories of income and affordability.

6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation for La Mirada

While cities do not build housing – that is the function of private developers – they do adopt plans, regulations, and programs that establish the rules for how and where housing can be built. An example of an adopted plan is the General Plan, which through its Housing Element provides housing programs and the Development Code, which provides the rules for where and at what densities housing can be built. The RHNA is a construction target – each city and county must have plans and development standards in place to accommodate housing to meet the RHNA.        A RHNA 101 webinar was presented by SCAG to provide an overview of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process.

What happens if the City does not adopt a Housing Element or the Element does not comply with State law?

If La Mirada does not adopt a Housing Element by the October 15, 2021 deadline, the city would need to prepare a new Housing Element in just four years (instead of eight) and could face fines per month until it approves a plan. A Housing Element can also be considered out of compliance if it does not meet the requirements of Housing Element law.  In addition, without an approved housing plan, the risk of housing-related lawsuits and challenges to the city’s entire General Plan increase. Having an approved housing plan avoids these significant problems, helps maintain local control over land use decisions, and makes the City eligible for state grants to help fund infrastructure improvements.

Who prepares and certifies the Housing Element?

The City of La Mirada prepares the Housing Element, but it must be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). This certification creates a presumption that the Element is compliant with State law.

How can I get involved and provide comments and feedback on the Housing Element Update?

The City will be conducting outreach activities throughout the Housing Element update process. Check back at this page for upcoming events. Sign up for email updates at the top of this page.