Required by the California Government Code, a General Plan determines where and how parcels of land within the city be used. In essence, it is the official statement of how the City of La Palma will change, or not change, over the next twenty years. The General Plan contains goals and policies on what is expected when decisions on public or private developments come before the Planning Commission and City Council.

The General Plan is intended to guide and influence future development related decisions. To do that, it contains goals and policies that provide guidance for City officials. Goals describe general conditions that are desired. Policies state guidance to be used in future decision making. Any topic for which a goal is stated can be assumed to be an important factor in realizing the City’s Vision. If there is a goal, there will always be a policy to carry it out. Often, there will be several.

Housing Element
The City of La Palma Housing Element is contained within the City's General Plan as Chapter 4 and Appendix C.  The City is currently in the process of updating the Housing Element.  On October 12, 2009, the City resubmitted a revised draft Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review.   The revised draft document Chapter 4 (Draft) and Appendix C (Draft)  are available for viewing on this website or at City Hall. 

HCD notified the City on December 10, 2009,  at the conclusion of their 60-day review period, that the revised draft Housing Element is in compliance with State housing element law. Program 15 of the Housing Programs and Action Plan in the revised draft Housing Element utilizes the implementation of the Village Overlay District to achieve the required minimum default density on two identified sites. Because of this change the environmental documents for the draft Housing Element are to be re-circulated for Public Comment prior to taking the revised draft Housing Element before the City Council for formal adoption. The revised Initial Study and Negative Declaration (Draft) are available for viewing on this website or at City Hall. The 30-day circulation period for the Initial Study and Negative Declaration (Draft) is between December 30, 2009, and January 28, 2010. Furthermore, before the draft Housing Element can be presented to the City Council for formal adoption, the City is required to work with the Native American Heritage Commission, pursuant to Government Code §65352.3, which requires local governments to consult with California Native American tribes identified by the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) for any General Plan amendment. At the conclusion of the tribal consultation process and the environmental document comment period, the draft Housing Element will be brought before the City Council for formal adoption at a date that is yet to be determined.