Two bills that passed the California Legislature could give Encinitas and other cities years of extra time to plan for state-mandated housing growth.

SB 1087 and AB 2296 both sat on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk as of Monday, Sept. 28, with a Wednesday, Sept. 30 signing deadline. One bill would stretch the regional transportation planning cycle from four years to eight. The other would do the same for housing element cycles, currently set at five years, according to a SANDAG legislative report prepared for the agency's Oct. 2 Executive Committee meeting.

For Encinitas, a city that was six years late adopting its previous housing element and now faces pressure to permit more affordable units, the shift could reshape when and how the next round of housing targets arrives.

What the bills do

SB 1087, authored by Sen. Chris Cabaldon, D-Napa, would move the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) planning cycle from four years to eight years. The change would take effect with one of the next two scheduled updates after Jan. 1, 2028. In the off cycle, regional agencies like the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) would file a progress report instead of drafting a full new plan.

The bill would also add a 2045 greenhouse gas reduction target and remove the existing 2020 target. It would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to review a region's plan within 60 days or have it automatically approved.

The Legislature approved SB 1087 on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, according to a Shasta Regional Transportation Agency legislative report. SANDAG co-sponsored the bill alongside three other large metropolitan planning organizations: MTC, SACOG and SCAG.

AB 2296 targets housing elements directly. For cities currently on five-year housing element cycles, the bill would convert those cycles to eight years and push the deadline for the 8th revision to June 30, 2032, according to the California Digital Democracy bill tracker. The bill was enrolled and presented to the governor on Sept. 3.

AB 2296 would also extend timelines for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process, giving cities and counties more lead time to form subregional planning groups.

What it means for Encinitas

Encinitas is in the middle of its 6th Cycle housing element, which runs through 2029 and requires the city to accommodate 1,554 total housing units. As of 2025, the city had permitted 1,566 homes overall, but the numbers skew heavily toward market-rate housing, Voice of San Diego reported in April.

The affordable numbers tell a different story. Encinitas had permitted only 76 of its 369-unit low-income goal and 137 of its 469-unit very-low-income goal.

Cities that fail to meet their targets by the end of the cycle could face loss of zoning control, fines, reduced grant eligibility and potential lawsuits from the state attorney general's office, according to Voice of San Diego.

The city's housing element history adds weight. Encinitas was six years late approving its 5th Cycle housing element, which was finally certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in October 2019 after a court order. The 6th Cycle element was adopted in April 2021.

In an August 2024 NOWLeucadia candidate Q&A, District 1 Councilmember Allison Blackwell described the stakes: "Getting an approved Housing Element was a long and expensive process. And if the City fails to meet state requirements, then the consequences are unacceptable."

What's still unknown

The governor had not signed or vetoed either bill as of Monday, Sept. 28. The Wednesday, Sept. 30 deadline will determine whether the bills become law.

No Encinitas city officials have publicly commented on either bill. The city's Sept. 23 council recap addressed the draft Climate Action Plan but made no mention of SB 1087 or AB 2296, according to the city's Council Rundown.

The precise effect on Encinitas's next housing element cycle also remains unclear. AB 2296 excludes the 7th cycle for regions with revision dates in 2027, 2028 or 2029. Whether Encinitas's 7th Cycle falls under that exclusion or benefits from the extended 8th Cycle deadline would likely require clarification from city planning staff or HCD.

The Encinitas City Council's next regular meeting is Oct. 14. No housing element or state legislation item appears on the agenda.