California Attorney General Opinion 23-1101

BACKGROUND

Under California’s Planning and Zoning Law, each county must create a planning agency to carry out designated planning and land use functions. 1 “Planning agency” “is a 1 23-1101 generic term that applies to whichever body performs the designated planning functions.” 2 The planning agency in San Benito County includes the Planning Commission, which makes recommendations “to the Board of Supervisors regarding any proposed master or general plan for the physical development of the county,” among other duties. 3 The general plan is “a comprehensive, long-term . . . plan for the physical development of the county” that designates uses of land in the county for various purposes, including for education, public buildings, and grounds. 4 The Planning Commission prepares, reviews, and revises the general plan, and implements it through the administration of specific plans and zoning and subdivision ordinances. 5 The Planning Commission also reviews public works projects of other local agencies for consistency with the general plan, and it consults with and advises public officials about the general plan’s implementation. 6 In…