Two new California Senate bills, Senate Bill (SB) 1425 and Assembly Bill (AB) 1889, mandate significant updates to general plans. These legislative changes aim to create more inclusive, resilient, and ecologically connected communities.
SB 1425: Advancing Climate Resilience through Open Space Updates
SB 1425 mandates that every city and county in California review and update their local open-space plans by January 1, 2026. General plan updates in consideration of SB 1425 must include plans and action programs that address:
- Equitable access to open space, considering social, economic, and racial equity.
- Climate resilience and other benefits coordinated with the safety element.
- Rewilding opportunities to preserve and enhance natural ecosystems.
AB 1889: Enhancing Wildlife Movement and Connectivity Planning
AB 1889 requires the conservation element of general plans to consider the impact of development on wildlife movement and habitat connectivity. Specifically, it mandates that the conservation element must be updated upon the next revision of a general plan after January 1, 2028. General plan updates in accordance with AB 1889 must consider:
- The impacts of development on wildlife movement and habitat connectivity.
- Identification and analysis of connectivity areas, permeability, and natural landscapes.
- Incorporation of guidelines, standards, and the best available science.
Ensuring SB 1425- and AB 1889-Compliant General Plan Updates
These bills ensure that general plans are updated to reflect contemporary concerns about environmental justice, climate change, and biodiversity, making them more comprehensive and forward-thinking.
Here’s how SB 1425 and AB 1889 impact specific environmental concerns:
- Environmental Justice. SB 1425 mandates equitable planning for open spaces. This can be achieved by prioritizing land acquisition, programming, and amenity enhancements in park-poor, disadvantaged communities. These efforts require detailed data analysis and inclusive and innovative outreach to best meet the community’s needs and desires.
- Climate Resilience. SB 1425 spotlights the important role that open space land use planning and management plays in the reduction of short- and long-term risks from climate hazards such as extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, and sea-level rise. Coordination of policies across a general plan’s safety and open space elements creates opportunities to reduce heat locally, improve health outcomes, manage wildfire and landslide threats, and buffer from rising sea levels.
- Open Space and Conservation. SB 1425 mandates that jurisdictions consider opportunities to preserve, enhance, and expand their open space as an integrated network that supports beneficial uses such as habitat, recreation, natural resources, historic and tribal resources, water management, and aesthetics. Centralized and ecologically focused master planning is encouraged.
- Wildlife Movement and Connectivity Planning. AB 1889 mandates that jurisdictions consider species habitat and connectivity needs for wildlife movement. This can be supported through advanced data collection techniques, AI-powered photo analysis, extensive connectivity studies, and data-driven analysis, ensuring accurate wildlife movement planning and effective policy development for improved corridors. Science-based evaluation, coupled with species’ behavioral knowledge, leads to implementable and effective guidance and planning documents.
How Dudek Can Help
Dudek helps municipalities navigate and streamline the general plan update process, particularly in relation to wildlife movement, climate resiliency, and rewilding. Our comprehensive team of planners, biologists, ecologists, landscape architects, and engineers is dedicated to assisting cities and counties with these updates.
With Dudek’s support, your municipality can achieve full compliance with SB 1425 and AB 1889 by the mandated deadlines, fostering a more sustainable and connected future for your community. Contact us to learn more.