How Fair is Fair-Share? A Longitudinal Assessment of California’s Housing Element Law
Despite the nearly 40 years since California’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) program was established, its authority to direct local jurisdictions to adjust the housing unit allocations in their general plans and zoning capacity to accommodate population growth in every part of the state has not alleviated the state’s growing housing crisis.
This report analyzes data on RHNA allocations and performance for the Southern California Association of Governments, a regional council of governments that encompasses six counties and is the most populous in the state. We find that major changes to RHNA allocation methodologies are necessary to address these structural inequalities in California’s housing landscape that shape our current housing crisis
