Several of the 34 new housing laws signed by Governor Newsom could mean more construction in La Jolla.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bevy of new housing laws Sept 29, a package of 34 bills aimed to greenlight more home construction, create more affordable housing inventory and expand recovery programs for those experiencing homelessness.

Officials and developers in the city of San Diego and across the state have been eager to increase housing density to address housing shortages in recent years, enacting bills like 2021’s SB 9 and SB 10, which allows for up to four homes to be built on single-family lots.

The new package aims to encourage more construction growth through bills including the following bills, selected from those with impacts on La Jolla housing development:

SB 1117 would lower fees for building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) larger than 750 square feet; the current city limit on ADU size is 1,200 square feet.

AB 956 also eases ADU restrictions by increasing cities’ ministerial approval of detached ADUs on a single-family lot from one to two.

SB 1014 makes housing development fees more transparent, requiring cities to disclose cost estimates and infrastructure requirements early in the application process.

These and the rest of the housing bill package may have impacts in La Jolla like more multi-unit buildings and ADUs built on single-family lots, construction that many lawmakers support as necessary changes.

“California’s housing shortage demands that we continue finding responsible ways to build more homes and create communities where people can live, work and thrive,” Senator Weber Pierson, (representing District 39, which covers parts of central San Diego, La Mesa, El Cajon, and Lemon Grove), said in a press release from Newsom’s office.