Bills to allow "plexes" and apartments near transit by right move forward, as does bill to eliminate parking requirements near transit.

The California Legislature has come roaring back in 2021 with a whole new set of bills affecting planning and development.

Most involve incremental change, however, as major zoning reform bills all failed.

SB 1120, the duplex bill, almost passed but ran out of time. None of the five bills proposed last spring by Senate leader Toni Atkins made it to the governor.

SB 1120, which would ease duplex zoning and lot splits, is the most important land use/housing bill still likely to pass.

To cut down on discretionary review, new housing laws require cities to approve housing projects so long as they conform to "objective" design standards. Cities are scrambling to draft standards that promote housing and promote desired aesthetic goals.

But Newsom vetoes a fair number of bills as well.