Irene Camacho-Werby, Town Clerk / Public Information Officer
Direction to Voting Delegate on Town's Position to the Proposed Resolution (Local Housing and Land Use Authority), Cal Cities 2026 Annual General Assembly Meeting
Discuss the proposed resolution (Local Housing and Land Use Authority (attached) for the League of California Cities (Cal Cities) 2026 Annual Business Meeting and to direct the Town's designated Voting Delegate, including alternates, to cast the Town's vote as:
- In Support of the resolution restoring local authority over housing and land-use decisions; or
- In Opposition to the proposed resolution; or
- Grant the Delegate Voting Discretion to make a final decision on the General Assembly floor following live debates and amendments on September 25, 2026.
The recommended action supports the goals of Livability and Organizational Effectiveness. Goal Statement: Preserve community character by maximizing the use of existing amenities and creating future opportunities that enhance quality of life for all. Goal Statement: Achieve a high performing organization by nurturing an engaged workforce committed to a shared vision of public service.
Developing League of California Cities policy engages a wide range of members to ensure Cal Cities represents cities with one voice. These policies directly guide Cal Cities’ advocacy to promote local decision-making, and lobby against statewide policies that erode local control. The resolutions process and General Assembly is one way that city officials can directly participate in the development of Cal Cities policy. If a resolution is approved at the General Assembly, it becomes official Cal Cities policy. The General Assembly is a meeting of the collective body of all voting delegates —one from every member city, of which the Town of Windsor is a member.
The League of California Cities will hold its Annual Conference September 23-25, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center with the General Assembly business meeting to be held on September 25. This Conference is an opportunity for city officials to learn and collaborate on solutions to common challenges and to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and participate as a voting member during the General Assembly.
At their meeting on August 19, 2026, the Town Council selected Councilmember Sam Salmon as the Town's Voting Delegate for the business meeting taking place on September 25, 2026. Councilmember Leep and Vice Mayor Potter were designated as Voting Alternates.
The proposed resolution was introduced by the City of Murrieta with official concurrence from the cities of Banning, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Moreno Valley, Norco, and Torrance, alongside individual mayoral endorsements from San Jacinto and Temecula. It has been formally referred to the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Policy Committee.
California cities are legally responsible for planning residential growth, adopting general plans, and coordinating the infrastructure and public services required to support new housing.
However, since 2010, the State of California has enacted more than 500 housing-related laws that have increasingly stripped zoning and land-use authority away from local governments. These state mandates often enforce "by-right" development and penalties like the "builder’s remedy," which effectively override locally adopted standards and public review processes. Some argue these top-down mandates expand development capacity without delivering meaningful housing production or accounting for local constraints like wildfire risks, water availability, and infrastructure funding.
Local elected officials remain directly accountable to residents for the real-world impacts of these development decisions. Municipalities across California—spanning urban, rural, coastal, and inland jurisdictions—have voiced concerns over these state pre-emptions with minimal legislative responsiveness. Because local governments are forced to absorb additional housing density without corresponding state funding to address the resulting strain on public utilities and safety services, this dynamic has escalated into a critical issue of statewide concern.
To address this imbalance, the proposed resolution directs the League of California Cities (Cal Cities) to establish a statewide working group. This group will be tasked with evaluating a state constitutional amendment or other ballot-based and legislative strategies to restore municipal authority over housing and land-use decisions.
The ultimate objective is to design a balanced framework where the State maintains its role in enforcing broad housing goals, civil rights, and life-safety codes, while restoring the necessary authority for individual cities to implement those objectives in a manner that aligns with local infrastructure capacities and community priorities.
The proposed action does not result in any direct fiscal impact.
The recommended action does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and requires no environmental review.