Historic Preservation in the Era of Housing Reform
Thursday, November 13th & 20th | 9am-1pm Pacific
Join the California Preservation Foundation for Housing Bootcamp 2025, a two-part, in-depth exploration of California’s evolving housing laws and their implications for local planning and preservation practice. This program will clarify what the state’s major housing statutes—including the Housing Accountability Act, Density Bonus Law, SB 9, SB 35, and AB 130—mean for jurisdictions, project review, and environmental compliance.
Attendees will gain a grounded understanding of how these laws interact with CEQA, zoning, and preservation ordinances, and where they alter or limit local authority. Presentations will break down complex legislative requirements into plain language, highlighting how the law defines “housing development projects,” what qualifies as ministerial approval, and if and how exemptions apply to historic resources.
The program concludes with a forward-looking discussion on how local governments and preservation staff can position themselves within this new legal framework—through clear communication, coordinated review, and proactive understanding of what these housing reforms mean for their communities.
Agenda
DAY 1 — Understanding California’s Housing Framework
I. Overview of California’s Housing Crisis
II. Key Housing Development Project Laws
Definition of a Housing Development Project, CEQA and Housing Development, Housing Accountability Act, Builder’s Remedy, Density Bonus Law
DAY 2 — Additional Housing Laws & Protecting Historic Resources
III. Other Housing Laws, Exemptions and Limitations
SB 35, SB 9, SB 10, AB 2011, SB 6, AB 2097, ADUs (AB 130), Fire Rebuild Law
IV. New and Pending Legislation: AB 130, SB 131, and SB 79
V. Protecting Eligible Historic Resources Under Current Laws
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will analyze how recent California housing laws—including the Housing Accountability Act, SB 9, SB 35/423, and AB 130—reshape local review authority and impact the protection of historic resources.
- Attendees will evaluate how CEQA exemptions, ministerial approvals, and streamlined processes affect environmental review and historic resource consideration.
- Attendees will identify proactive measures jurisdictions can take—such as inventory updates, designations, and design standards—to safeguard historic properties under new housing mandates.
- Attendees will develop strategies for interdepartmental coordination and project review that balance housing production goals with preservation objectives.
Speakers
Susan Brandt-Hawley, Principal, Brandt-Hawley Law Group
Susan is a leading advocate for public-interest preservation groups statewide, focusing on California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) issues. She has represented hundreds of groups in CEQA cases, establishing precedent in over 40 published opinions in the six districts of the California Court of Appeal and six cases at the California Supreme Court. A member and past president (2018-19) of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Susan received a 2001 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award and has been recognized multiple times on the Daily Journal's list of California's "top women litigators." She frequently speaks on preservation law at forums for judges, lawyers, public agency staff, elected officials, and preservation advocates.
LinkedInSheri Bonstelle, Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
Sheri's practice focuses on land use, zoning, environmental, litigation and construction matters. She manages all aspects of the entitlement process, including representing clients before local and state agencies, commissions and councils. She coordinates environmental review under CEQA/NEPA, negotiates development agreements, and works to preserve and adaptively reuse historic structures in compliance with historic preservation laws. She also handles litigation under CEQA and the Housing Accountability Act. Prior to her legal carrier, Sheri practiced as a licensed architect in NY where she also worked on the adaptive reuse of historic structures, including documenting historic structures for the Historic American Building Survey.
LinkedInNeill Brower, Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
Neill represents clients throughout California in land use and environmental matters, including permitting and regulatory compliance, with a particular focus on affordable housing. His practice includes representing clients in matters involving historic and cultural resources preservation, air and water quality, biological resources and endangered species, and environmental planning and analysis. He has represented clients before a local, regional, and state commissions, councils, and regulatory agencies on projects ranging from single-family homes to large mixed-use developments to industrial facilities. Prior to his legal career, Neill worked for 10 years as an environmental and urban planner, working extensively with local and state agencies as clients and as regulators. A former archaeologist, Neill also completed archaeological and historic resources surveys and associated technical studies, including Historic American Building Survey reports.
LinkedInDouglas Carstens, Partner, Carstens, Black & Minteer
Doug is the Managing Partner of a small petitioners’ environmental law firm, Carstens Black & Minteer LLP, based in Redondo Beach and practicing throughout the state. He graduated from Cornell University and UCLA Law School. Prior to finishing law school, he served as an officer in the Navy and participated in preservation efforts for the Long Beach Naval Station. His law firm primarily represents environmental and community groups, and much of the practice involves counseling and litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act and other environmental laws. His firm helped bring about the public acquisition of now-public parklands in northeast Los Angeles, in the Rio De Los Angeles State Park, the State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles, and additions to the Kenneth Hahn State Park in Baldwin Hills. He is President of the Board of Planning and Conservation League.
LinkedInAmanda Daams, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP
Amanda specializes in CEQA, NEPA, and related environmental laws. She helps clients navigate complex land use issues and environmental documents, including impact reports, negative declarations, and CEQA exemptions. Amanda has extensive experience advising on large-scale projects such as general plan updates, residential, commercial, and mining projects, and handles cultural resources and environmental justice concerns. She also supports clients through the regulatory approval process, advising on permits and public review, and has successfully defended project approvals in court. Active in the Association of Environmental Professionals, Amanda serves as Chapter Director for the Inland Empire Chapter and is a graduate of Leadership Riverside.
LinkedInMargarita Jerabek, PhD, Historic Resources Strategic Development Director, ESA
Dr. Margarita Jerabek has 37 years of professional experience as an architectural historian and historic preservation consultant in the United States and California. Her qualifications and experience meet and exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards in History and Architectural History. As Historic Resources Strategic Development Director with Environmental Science Associates, she assists clients with strategic advice and historic preservation consultation services to support project success. Highly experienced and solution oriented, she provides historic resources management and preservation consultation services for all stages of project development.
LinkedIn- Amber Long, Founder, Long Historic Preservation Services
Amber is the founder of Long Historic Preservation Services, a Santa Barbara County–based consultancy specializing in built environment services. Before founding the company in 2023, she spent 10 years working for environmental planning and cultural resources firms, as well as the County of Santa Barbara. Amber is passionate about the responsible management of historic resources and creative mitigation strategies that balance stakeholder needs. She has collaborated with state and local jurisdictions, the military, nonprofits, developers, and homeowners on projects of varying scales. Her experience includes peer review for local governments and expert witness testimony on CEQA and cultural resources. Amber managed the rehabilitation of the Sebastian Store in San Simeon and consults with Piedras Blancas Light Station on plans to reconstruct two historic Victorian homes. She holds a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in U.S. history from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has lived on the Central Coast for over 20 years.
LinkedIn - Nicole Hernandez, Architectural Historian, City of Santa Barbara
Nicole has conducted historic resource surveys, worked with public and private property owners on preservation projects, provided valuable support and recommendations to the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, and worked with community groups on researching local history. Most recently, she played a crucial role in the preparation of the Santa Barbara African American and Black Historic Context Statement. Before coming to Santa Barbara in 2012, Hernandez worked as an architectural historian at Historic Denver Inc., and before that, as an architectural historian for the City of New Orleans. She has a master’s degree in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
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