Senate committee advances bill to create statewide standardized spatial datasets

Senator Stern introduced SB 14 23 to require the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to compile a standardized set of statewide spatial datasets and make them publicly available by July 1, 2028. "The bill does not, create any new regulatory requirements, mandate any land use decisions, restrict local development, and or limit the use of more detailed local data," Stern said during the hearing.

Supporters said standardized data will make planning more efficient and affordable for regional and local agencies. Matthew Baker, identified as a sponsor, and other stakeholders including the Nature Conservancy and Climate Plan testified in favor of the proposal, saying it improves decision-making at the local level.

Opponents from the building and development sector argued the bill selects datasets that are not intended for planning and could be used to oppose housing. Ben Turner of Accsoon Advisors, representing the California Building Industry Association, said the measure "selects, from our perspective, somewhat arbitrarily, a series of datasets, that are not intended to be used for planning, and appear to be designed to make it look less appealing to construct housing around communities." Turner cited the bill's reference to 500-year flood maps and other datasets he described as backward-looking or poorly suited for local planning.

Senator Laird and others asked whether requested amendments were considered; the author said objective exclusions were proposed and that hazard-risk language had been removed in response to concerns. After closing remarks and a roll-call vote, the committee recorded the measure as advancing from committee (transcript result recorded as "out 5-2").

Why it matters: If enacted, SB 1423 would provide a common baseline of spatial information for local and regional governments, aiming to streamline analysis and reduce duplicative data collection. Opponents say selection and use of those datasets could have unintended consequences for housing development if not carefully scoped.

What happens next: The measure was returned to the Senate floor for further consideration.