ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council is calling for a reassessment of the city’s state-mandated affordable housing allocations, citing concerns about population decline, infrastructure strain, and a lack of transparency in how housing needs are calculated.
The Feb. 26 council discussion, initiated by an item brought forward by Councilmember Luke Shaffer and Councilmember Jim O’Hara, revolved around directing staff to draft a formal request urging the San Diego Association of Governments and California Department of Housing and Community Development to revisit the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers assigned to Encinitas and other cities for the 6th cycle.
O’Hara emphasized the issue’s urgency, arguing that the city can’t afford to wait for regional agencies to act.
“If we don’t press the button and make things start going, it’s going to fall to us,” O’Hara said. “This is not just a letter. Everybody needs to take a step forward.”
The RHNA process, a state-mandated system, distributes housing quotas to local jurisdictions based on population projections, job proximity, and transit access. The state assigns each region a housing target, which is then divided among local jurisdictions by regional planning agencies, such as SANDAG.
However, multiple council members and speakers at the meeting questioned the validity of the state’s projections, citing population decline in Encinitas and inconsistencies in SANDAG’s forecasting data.
“We respectfully request the California Housing Community Development Agency, in collaboration with relevant state and local agencies, revisit the housing need determinations and recalibrate projections to more accurately reflect the current population trends and realistic future demand,” O’Hara said, reading from the initial draft of the letter.
The council’s request comes after Del Mar officials learned that SANDAG incorrectly calculated the city’s 6th cycle RHNA allocation, overinflating their housing obligations using job data that improperly included seasonal and part-time Fairgrounds workers.
Del Mar and Encinitas are also not alone in their pleas for an adjusted 6th cycle RHNA allocation. In March 2024, representatives from Del Mar and several local cities on the SANDAG Board of Directors told HCD officials that their unit obligations were unachievable.
“We really need some change in the 6th cycle because the goals are completely unrealistic and there is now punishment for all of us if we don’t meet them. The serious implications for all of our communities is [sic] dire,” said Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner at the SANDAG board’s March 22 meeting.
Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes acknowledged the challenges cities have faced in advocating for RHNA reform but stressed the need to align the city’s request with broader statewide efforts.
“I would like us to make sure we’ve done our homework,” Lyndes said.
Lyndes pointed to a letter SANDAG’s Sustainable Communities Working Group sent in late 2024, which called for more flexibility in housing allocations and credit for cities that voluntarily accommodate additional growth.
Public speakers also voiced concerns over the state’s housing mandates. Resident Maria Ardantz cited census data indicating that the city’s population had declined from 62,001 in 2020 to 60,841 in 2023.
“We’ve only grown by 1,323 people in 13 years,” Ardantz said. “It’s just nonsense.”
Another speaker, Ellen Burr, called for greater transparency in how RHNA numbers are calculated.
“We need more transparency about what that data is and where it comes from,” Burr said. “Garbage in, garbage out.”
The discussion also touched on findings from a 2022 State Auditor’s report, which found that verified data did not adequately support HCD’s housing projections. Mayor Bruce Ehlers cited the audit, concluding that HCD does not ensure its needs assessments are accurate or adequately supported.
In response, the council unanimously approved the formation of an RHNA Reform Subcommittee to work with city staff to refine a formal request for reassessment. The subcommittee will present a revised letter for council approval at the March 19 meeting.
1 comment
Encinitas needs to get the State to change our designation as Urban to Suburban, should have been done from the beginning.
How on Earth is Encinitas urban? This alone will reduce the needed numbers that the Comrades in Sacramento are demanding.