SB 967 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Planning and zoning: housing element: interim housing units: acutely low income households.

Summary

The Planning and Zoning Law requires each county and each city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of that county or city, and specified land outside its boundaries, that includes, among other specified mandatory elements, a housing element. For the 4th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine the existing and projected regional housing need, as provided, and requires the appropriate council of governments, or for cities and counties without a council of governments, the department, to adopt a final regional housing need plan allocating a share of the regional housing need to each Existing"?> city or county, as provided. Existing law requires the housing element to include an analysis of any special housing needs, including, among others, families and persons in need of emergency shelter. Existing law requires a city or county to provide by April 1 of each year an annual report to, among other entities, the department that includes, among other things, the city's or county's progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs, as specified, and number of units approved and disapproved in the prior year. The bill would authorize a city or county that met or exceeded its need for emergency shelter capacity and that provides committed support for interim housing, as defined, to report the number of interim housing units receiving that support that are approved, as specified, as units approved or disapproved for acutely low income households, for purposes of the annual progress report. The bill would require the department to allow approved interim housing units to account for up to 50% of the city's or county's share of the regional need for housing for acutely low income households, as specified. Existing law requires the department to publish, by December 31, 2026, advisory guidance, including, but not limited to, sample analyses and programs, pertaining to special housing needs for acutely low and extremely low income households and programs to assist in the development of adequate housing to meet the needs of acutely low income households, as specified. This bill would require the guidance to include advice regarding the impact of the above-described requirements regarding interim housing and pertaining to acutely low and extremely low income households, specifically how interim housing, as defined, that does not meet the United States Census Bureau guidelines definition of a "housing unit" may be reported in the annual progress report.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Last action May 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/26/26 - Amended Senate → SB967 · 2 edits

MINOR

This diff reflects a change in document presentation format rather than substantive policy changes. The bill text was converted from a traditional legislative document layout (with line numbers, page headers, and formal formatting) to a web-based rendering with navigation elements and a sidebar. The actual statutory language of SB 967 - including the definitions in Section 65582, the advisory guidance requirements in Section 65583.05, and the interim housing provisions in new Section 65583.5 - remains unchanged between the two versions.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from a traditional legislative document (with line numbers, page breaks, and formal layout) to a web-based presentation with navigation links, a bill information sidebar, and simplified heading structure.

Web interface elements were added including navigation links (skip to content, home, accessibility, FAQ, feedback, sitemap, login), a quick search box, bill information panel, version tracking options, and sharing features.

02/03/26 - Introduced → 03/26/26 - Amended Senate · 8 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

The amended version of SB 967 significantly expands the bill's scope by adding a new Government Code section (65583.5) that allows cities and counties to count approved interim housing units toward their regional housing need for acutely low income households, capped at 50 percent. The amendment also modifies Section 65583.05 to require state guidance on how to report interim housing that does not meet Census Bureau definitions of a housing unit. This matters because it gives local governments a new tool to demonstrate progress on housing for the most vulnerable income group without building permanent structures, though only if they have already met their emergency shelter capacity goals.

Scope change

The bill expands from a single definitional amendment (Section 65582) to a multi-section bill that amends Section 65583.05 and adds an entirely new Section 65583.5, introducing a substantive policy mechanism for counting interim housing toward regional housing need allocations for acutely low income households.

SCOPE

A new Section 65583.5 is added to the Government Code creating an interim housing reporting mechanism for acutely low income households.

ELIGIBILITY

Only cities or counties that met or exceeded their need for emergency shelter capacity (as identified in Section 65583) are eligible to use the interim housing reporting provision.

REQUIREMENT

To qualify, a city or county must enter into a legally enforceable agreement lasting until the end of the planning cycle that obligates sufficient funds or in-kind services to keep identified interim housing units available for occupancy.

Section 65583.05 is amended to require that state advisory guidance include specific advice on how interim housing that does not meet the U.S. Census Bureau guidelines definition of a 'housing unit' may be reported in the annual progress report.

FISCAL

Approved interim housing units may count for up to 50 percent of the city's or county's share of the regional need for housing for acutely low income households allocated under Section 65584.

DEFINITION

'Interim housing' is defined as a noncongregate and relocatable low barrier navigation center as defined in Section 65660. 'Committed support for interim housing' is defined as a legally enforceable agreement obligating funds or in-kind services for the duration of the planning period.

TIMELINE

Interim housing units count only for the planning cycle during which they are approved. Units that are relocated out of the jurisdiction or become unavailable must be reported as disapproved and removed from the approved total.

TECHNICAL

The fiscal note changes from 'State-mandated local program: yes' to 'State-mandated local program: no,' reclassifying the bill's fiscal impact.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

upper

Apr 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3902.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HOUSING.

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HOUSING.

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors