Strengthening Existing Tools and Removing Barriers
*ACA 1 (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: Developing support for ballot measure.
AB 519 (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: Passed Assembly Housing. Referred to Asm. Appropriations.
AB 510 (Jackson) Would require each city and county to establish a local land trust, for the purposes of holding and developing real property within the jurisdiction. The bill would require the local land trust to be governed by the city council or board of supervisors. The bill would also exempt a development project within a local land trust from CEQA.
Status: Passed Human Services. Referred to Asm. Appropriations.
*AB 480 (Ting) Prioritizes affordable housing development when public lands are sold or leased.
Status: Passed Assembly Housing 4/26. Referred to Asm. Appropriations.
CEQA
*AB 1307 (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: Ordered to Consent Calendar 4/26
SB 393 (Glazer) Would require a person or organization who brings a CEQA lawsuit to disclose any financial support they receive.
Status: Set for hearing May 2, Senate Judiciary
*AB 1633 (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: Passed Natural Resources 4/27. Referred to Asm. Appropriations
*SB 469 (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 Senate Housing 4/18. Hearing set May 1. Senate Appropriations
STREAMLINING/PROCESSING
AB 821 (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.
SB 341 (Becker) More appropriately aligns pro housing incentives to projects where local programs are the applicants. Exempts developers from pro housing bonus points requirement.
Status: On Senate Floor. 5/1.
FINANCING
*AB 578 (Berman) Caps HCD monitoring fees so that more money can be leveraged to building housing.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File.
*SB 482 (Blakespeare) Would require HCD to offer capitalized operating reserves to supportive housing units developed under the Multifamily Housing Program.
Status: On Senate Floor 5/1
*AB 1657 (Wicks) Would place an affordable housing bond before the voters in Fall of 2024.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Suspense file
*AB 1053 (Gabriel) Would reduce affordable housing costs by funding HCD loans during construction.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Suspense file
AB 346 (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: 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