Frequently Asked Questions

A general plan is the City's blueprint for meeting the community's long-term vision for the future. A general plan is made up of text describing goals and objectives, principles, standards, and plan proposals, as well as a set of maps and diagrams. 

• Introduction to General Plans (PDF)
• Why General Plans Matter (PDF)
• General Plan Terms and Definitions (PDF)

The term "element" refers to the topics that California law requires to be covered in a general plan (GC § 65302). A city's safety element establishes policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood, and wildfire hazards, as well as from other concerns such as drought. A city's housing element assesses current and projected housing needs for all economic segments of the community. In addition, the housing element embodies policies for providing adequate housing and includes action programs for that purpose. By statute, the housing element must be updated every eight years.

• Required Elements within a General Plan (PDF)
• Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory (PDF)
• Housing Elements - HCD
• City of Escondido's Housing and Community Investment Study

The State defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies" (GC §65040.12(e)). Environmental justice includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

• The availability of a healthy environment for all people.
• The deterrence, reduction, and elimination of pollution burdens for populations and communities experiencing the adverse effects of that pollution, so that the effects of the pollution are not disproportionately borne by those populations and communities.
• Governmental entities engaging and providing technical assistance to populations and communities most impacted by pollution to promote their meaningful participation in all phases of the environmental and land use decision making process.
• At a minimum, the meaningful consideration of recommendations from populations and communities most impacted by pollution into environmental and land use decisions.

• Long before the term "environmental justice" was coined, communities across California experienced discrimination through unjust land use policies and practices. Examples of such discrimination range from Spanish colonizers institutionalizing the Mission system and intentionally disrupting tribal culture and environmental stewardship, to the practice of redlining in cities during the 20th century, to farmworker exposure of dangerous pesticides in the 1960s (pp. 1-2, OPR, June 2020) (PDF).
• Specifically, the State refers to environmental justice communities as "disadvantaged communities" and defines them as:
  • "...an area identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency Pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code or an area that is a low-income area that is disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation" (GC § 65302(h)(4)(A)).
• Environmental Justice (EJ) communities within the City have not yet been identified. City staff will work to preliminarily identify communities that may be EJ communities based on their environmental and health hazards, incomes, and climate vulnerability. Once the City's preliminary EJ communities are identified, public input will help finalize where these communities are within the City.
• The EJ element will prioritize goals for our EJ communities in an effort to achieve environmental justice. (return to top)
• View more information: 
  • Environmental Justice Guidelines (PDF)
  • State Attorney General's SB1000 Webpage
  • Senate Bill 1000
  • CalEnviroScreen 4.0
  • CALEJA SB1000 Tool Kit