Strengthening Existing Tools and Removing Barriers
*ACA1 (Aguiar-Curry) Places a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot that would lower the voter threshold for approving affordable housing bonds to 55%. The threshold is currently two thirds.
Status: Hearing set. Asm. Local Government. July 12
AB519 (Schiavo) Would require each city and county to establish a workgroup to develop a consolidated application for the purposes of obtaining grants, loans, tax credits, credit enhancement, and other types of financing for building affordable housing and developing a coordinated review process for the application.
Status: Hearing set. Senate Housing Committee. July 10
*AB480 (Ting) Prioritizes affordable housing development when public lands are sold or leased.
Status: Re-referred to Senate Committee on Housing
CEQA
*AB1307 (Wicks) Reverses a court decision in the People’s Park case in Berkeley by clarifying that that the sound of residents’ voices should not be considered an environmental impact under CEQA.
Status: Hearing Set. Senate Housing Committee. July 10.
SB393 (Glazer) Would require a person or organization who brings a CEQA lawsuit to disclose any financial support they receive.
Status: Re-referred to Natural Resources. Hearing not set.
*AB1633 (Ting) Will end the inappropriate abuse of CEQA by jurisdictions that attempt to block new housing developments that have already been found in compliance with local and state land use and environmental regulations.
Status: Re-referred to committee on Environmental Quality. 6/21. Hearing not set.
*SB469 (Allen) Would expand Article 34 exclusions to include housing built with funding from state or federal low income housing tax credits or state funding sources.
Status: Passed Asm Housing 6/28. Referred to Assembly Appropriations.
STREAMLINING/PROCESSING
AB821 (Grayson) Would require localities to amend zoning ordinance that are inconsistent with their general plan within 90 days and by deeming certain applications for housing development projects complete for purposes of the Project Streamlining Act. The bill would require localities to approve or disapprove the application at any of the five hearings required by the act. The bill would prohibit localities from disapproving the housing development project or requiring the project developed at a lower density, unless it first makes written findings supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
Status: Passed Assembly Housing. Referred to Asm. Appropriations.
Status: Re-referred to Senate Judiciary. July 6
SB341 (Becker) More appropriately aligns pro housing incentives to projects where local programs are the applicants. Exempts developers from pro housing bonus points requirement.
Status: Assembly Floor
FINANCING
*AB578 (Berman) Caps HCD monitoring fees so that more money can be leveraged to building housing.
Status: Hearing Set. Senate Housing Committee. July 10
*SB482 (Blakespeare) Would require HCD to offer capitalized operating reserves to supportive housing units developed under the Multifamily Housing Program.
Status: Hearing set. Assembly Appropriations
*AB1657 (Wicks) Would place an affordable housing bond before the voters in Spring of 2024.
Status: All bond bills (AB531, AB1657, SB834) are being negotiated with the Governor’s Office. TBD: Size of bonds and timing. Competition with other bond measures. Re-referred to Governance and Finance.
*AB1053 (Gabriel) Would reduce affordable housing costs by funding HCD loans during construction.
Status: Hearing set. Senate Housing. July 10.
AB346 (Quirk-Silva) Would allow TCAC to pair enhanced state low-income housing tax credits with either 9% or 4% federal credits in years when CDLAC is competitive.
Status: Referred to Senate Governance and Finance.
when CDLAC is competitive.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Suspense file
In preparing this report CAL-ALHFA referred to work done by the
following advocacy organizations:
Terner Center
California Housing Partnership
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
California Housing Consortium
California YIMBY
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