The Fullerton City Council meeting consent calendar for August 18 includes a response to a recent Orange County Grand Jury report that criticized California’s housing rules. The report, titled “California Housing Mandates: The Unintended Reshaping of Orange County Neighborhoods,” said the state’s housing goals are unrealistic and not clear. The council will meet on August 18 to go over the report, which was released to the public on May 27. State law requires a formal response by August 27.
City officials mostly agree with the Grand Jury’s findings, especially the part that says the housing goals for Fullerton are very difficult to meet. Fullerton has been asked to provide 13,209 new housing units from 2021 to 2029, as part of Orange County’s larger target of 183,861 units. However, over the last five years, the county has built only about 5,000 new units each year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
In a response letter dated August 7 and signed by Mayor Fred Jung, the city acknowledges nearly all the Grand Jury’s conclusions. However, Fullerton is making a strong point about how student housing is counted. Currently, housing meant for students at Cal State Fullerton does not count toward the city’s housing goals because it is classified as group housing. The city argues that this classification is too broad and that housing designed like regular apartments should be recognized as part of the solution to the housing crisis…