CA SB486

Sustainable communities strategies must now account for changes in enrollment levels at public higher education institutions when identifying areas sufficient to house regional populations, alongside existing factors like migration, population growth, and employment growth

UC and CSU must provide enrollment forecasts to councils of governments no more than 6 months before regional housing need methodology development, including projections based on cohort progression, improved admission/transfer rates, and degree completion by non-traditional students

Regional housing need allocation methodologies must consider student distribution among jurisdictions and optimization of transit/pedestrian efficiency for students traveling to UC and CSU campuses, including off-campus facilities

UC and CSU are exempted from conducting "no project" alternative analysis in environmental impact reports for development projects if the project is necessary to achieve campus enrollment goals, the university provided enrollment forecasts for regional housing planning, and the project meets specified consistency requirements

The Department of Finance must consider UC and CSU enrollment forecasts when preparing anticipated household growth projections used in determining regional housing needs