REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 24, 2026
FROM
MIGUEL FIGUEROA, Director, Land Use Services Department
ROB GILLIAM, Acting Director, Community Development and Housing Department
SUBJECT
Title
Application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for the Prohousing Designation Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of an application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for the County to request a Prohousing Designation and, if approved, authorization for the County to participate in the Prohousing Designation Program administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
2. Authorize the Director of the Land Use Services Department, as required by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, to execute and electronically submit the application and any subsequent non-substantive amendments required for the County to apply for a Prohousing Designation and, if approved, all documents required or deemed necessary by the California Department of Housing and Community Development to participate in the Prohousing Designation Program, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Adopt a Resolution, as required by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, authorizing the Director of the Land Use Services Department to execute and electronically submit the application and any subsequent non-substantive amendments required for the County to apply for a Prohousing Designation and, if approved, all documents required or deemed necessary by the California Department of Housing and Community Development to participate in the Prohousing Designation Program, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Director of the Land Use Services Department to transmit the application, referenced in Recommendation No. 1 and any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
5. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Land Use Services Department’s Planning Division’s 2025-26 budget and Community Development and Housing Department, as detailed in the Financial Impact Section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Miguel Figueroa, Director, 387-4431)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Employment Opportunities and Economic Value in the County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). There is no financial impact to file the Prohousing Designation Program application (Application). This item authorizes the transfer of $350,000 one-time Economic and Community Development Bond tax-exempt bond revenue from the Community Development and Housing Department (CDH) to the Land Use Services Department (LUS) to support activities necessary to obtain and maintain the County’s Prohousing Designation.
LUS and CDH request the following budget adjustments to their respective 2025-26 budgets:
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item/GL Account |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
6950001000 |
40909975 |
Operating Transfers In |
Increase |
$350,000 |
|
6950001000 |
52002900 |
Other Professional Fees |
Increase |
$350,000 |
|
6210002628 |
55305030 |
Operating Transfers Out |
Increase |
$350,000 |
|
6210002628 |
37008880 |
Fund Balance Reserved-Available Reserve |
Decrease |
$350,000 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Prohousing Designation Program (Program) administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) creates incentives for local governments that are compliant with State Housing Element Laws and that have enacted Prohousing policies. Examples of Prohousing policies may include the County providing funding to accelerate production of low-income households, as already previously required by the State-certified Housing Element. Prohousing-designated jurisdictions receive incentives such as additional points or other advantages when they apply for statewide funding for housing and infrastructure programs.
HCD accepts applications for the Program on a continuous, year-round basis. Applications require applicants to identify each Prohousing policy with a concise written description and specify whether the policy is enacted or proposed. Applicants must self-score each Prohousing policy using provided criteria and may utilize enhancement factors to increase their total point score. A Prohousing designation requires an overall score of at least 30 points.
Prohousing policies are identified and scored by HCD in four categories: Favorable Zoning and Land Use; Acceleration of Housing Production Timeframes; Reduction of Construction and Development Costs; and Providing Financial Subsidies. Local governments that receive the Prohousing designation can qualify for priority processing or funding points when applying for several funding programs, including:
1. Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities;
2. Infill Infrastructure Grant;
3. Transformative Climate Communities;
4. Solutions for Congested Corridors the zoning map had not been updated accordingly;
5. Local Partnership Program; and
6. Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.
A Prohousing designation would benefit County departments and partners such as CDH, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and San Bernardino Council of Governments with more favorable funding opportunities.
The Prohousing Designation Program Application (Application) for a Prohousing designation requires the Board of Supervisors (Board) adopt a formal resolution in a form provided by HCD. Any substantive deviations in the resolution will result in an incomplete determination or delay in the internal review of the Application. The resolution requires that the Board authorize an individual from the County to execute the Application and, if approved, authorization for that individual to execute all documents required or deemed necessary or appropriate by HCD (Program Documents) to participate in the Program. The Director of the LUS is the appropriate individual for this authorization since LUS is the designated County department that administers and ensures compliance with the State-certified Housing Element.
HCD monitors Prohousing designations on an ongoing basis and may revoke a designation at any time. Revocation occurs if a jurisdiction fails to enact or implement a proposed Prohousing policy within the specified timeframe or fails to facilitate the planning, approval, or construction of various housing types. A Prohousing designation expires three years from the first day of January following the designation date, and jurisdictions may apply for new designation no earlier than six months before current Prohousing designation expiration.
This item authorizes the transfer of $350,000 one-time Economic and Community Development Bond tax-exempt bond revenue from CDH to the Land Use Services Department to support data collection, policy research, community outreach, preparation and filing of the Application, Planning Commission and Board hearings workload, coordination with State of California agencies, and ongoing policy implementation and refinement to secure and maintain the Prohousing designation.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jason Searles, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 10, 2026; Community Development and Housing (Trina Perez, Deputy Director, 501-0616); Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Manager, 382-7022) on March 12, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, 386-8392, and Paul Garcia, 387-4205, Administrative Analysts) on March 12, 2026.