The State of California has recently introduced notable bills that reduce administrative burdens and incentivize by-right residential development to promote housing production. Examples of this legislation include Assembly Bill 2011 and Senate Bill 684, which limits the City's scope of review, requiring ministerial instead of discretionary review.

To comply with state legislation and adequately evaluate these projects, the City proposes amending the Zoning Ordinance to include a new entitlement, a Ministerial Housing Permit. Currently, the only existing ministerial entitlement is a Zone Clearance (West Hollywood Municipal Code Chapter 19.42), which historically has been used for small-scale projects that have no to little impact on the built environment. Since the use of a Zone Clearance is reserved for projects of this nature, the scope of review is narrower and insufficient to evaluate larger housing development projects. Granted that site and project criteria are met, projects subject to ministerial review do not undergo an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), nor are they subject to public hearings per state law.