Three Element Update - Environmental Justice | Housing | Safety & Resilience Elements of the General Plan

Safety Element

California Government Code Section 65302(g) (GC 65302) requires all local jurisdictions to update their Safety Element upon each revision of the Housing Element or Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Vallejo’s Safety Element Update will occur concurrently with the Housing Element Update, which must be adopted by early 2023. The State of California specifies types of information that must be updated, notably, climate change resiliency and adaptation mitigation. Other topics relating to natural hazards, which are already addressed in the Safety Element but may be updated as necessary to reflect new information, include: fire risk, seismic risk, flood risk, site contamination, and the City’s ability to respond to natural and manmade disasters.

Housing Element

In California, each city and county must adopt a Housing Element to plan for the housing needs of the community at all economic levels, including low-income and households with special needs. At its core, a Housing Element is an opportunity for the community to establish goals, policies, and programs to address local housing needs. The Housing Element is one of seven required elements of the City’s General Plan, which serves as the blueprint for how the city will grow and address changing needs for development.

Every eight years, the City is required to update its Housing Element and have it certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The City adopted the last update of the Housing Element in 2014. The current update to the Housing Element will guide housing development in Benicia in the 2023-2031 planning period. The community will have an opportunity to participate in the planning process, which is expected to run through the end of 2022.

The foundation of the Housing Element is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which is a State-mandated requirement that establishes each jurisdiction’s “fair share” of the total projected regional housing need. The State of California requires that each city provide adequate sites to meet its RHNA. Benicia’s expected share of the RHNA is 2900 housing units. The City is not required to build or finance new housing, but it must plan for it.

Environmental Justice Element

“Environmental justice” is defined in California law as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. California law further states that environmental justice includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• The availability of a healthy environment for all people.
• The deterrence, reduction, and elimination of pollution burdens for populations and communities experiencing the adverse effects of that pollution, so that the effects of the pollution are not disproportionately borne by those populations and communities.
• Governmental entities engaging and providing technical assistance to populations and communities most impacted by pollution to promote their meaningful participation in all phases of the environmental and land-use decision-making process.
• At a minimum, the meaningful consideration of recommendations from populations and communities most impacted by pollution into environmental and land-use decisions.
• Environmental justice goals, policies, and objectives must do the following:
• Reduce the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities by reducing pollution exposure and promoting public improvements; public services; community amenities; and access to food, safe and sanitary homes, and physical activity.
• Promote civil engagement in the public decision-making process.
• Prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities.

Get the latest news and information on the Vallejo General Plan Update here!