• Sacramento Keeps Chipping Away At Local Control

Newsom Signs More Housing Bills

Governor Newsom signed the full list of housing bills below

Preventing and Ending Homelessness 

• AB 3093 by Assemblymember Chris Ward — Land use: housing element
• AB 799 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas — Interagency Council on Homelessness: funding: state programs
• SB 7 by Senator Catherine Blakespear — Regional housing need: determination
• SB 1395 by Senator Josh Becker —  Shelter crisis: Low Barrier Navigation Center: use by right: building standards

Accountability 

• AB 1886 by Assemblymember David Alvarez — Housing Element Law: substantial compliance: Housing Accountability Act
• AB 1893 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks —  Housing Accountability Act: housing disapprovals: required local findings
• AB 2023 by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva — Housing Element: Inventory of Land: Substantial Compliance: Rebuttable Presumptions
• SB 1037 by Senator Scott Wiener — Planning and zoning: housing element: enforcement 
• AB 1413 by Assemblymember Phil Ting — Housing Accountability Act: disapprovals: California Environmental Quality Act
• AB 2667 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago — Affirmatively furthering fair housing: housing element: reporting
• SB 393 by Senator Steven M. Glazer — Civil actions: housing development projects
• SB 450 by Senator Toni Atkins — Housing development: approvals

Housing Streamlining and Production

• AB 2243 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks — Housing development projects: objective standards: affordability and site criteria
• AB 2488 by Assemblymember Phil Ting – Downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing districts: City and County of San Francisco
• AB 2199 by Assemblymember Marc Berman — California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: residential or mixed-use housing projects
• AB 2694 by Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward — Density Bonus Law: residential care facilities for the elderly
• SB 312 by Senator Scott Wiener — California Environmental Quality Act: university housing development projects: exemption
• SB 1123 by Senator Anna Caballero — Planning and zoning: subdivisions: ministerial review
• SB 1211 by Senator Nancy Skinner — Land use: accessory dwelling units: ministerial approval

Transparency and Efficiency

• AB 1053 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel — Housing programs: multifamily housing programs: expenditure of loan proceeds
• AB 2117 by Assemblymember Joe Patterson — Development permit expirations: actions or proceedings.
• AB 2430 by Assemblymember David Alvarez — Planning and zoning: density bonuses: monitoring fees
• AB 2553 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman — Housing development: major transit stops: vehicular traffic impact fees
• AB 2663 by Assemblymember Timothy S. Grayson — Inclusionary housing: fees: reports
• AB 2926 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra — Planning and zoning: assisted housing developments: Notice of expiration of affordability restrictions
• SB 937 by Senator Scott Wiener — Development projects: fees and charges

Housing Protections 

• AB 2801 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman — Tenancy: security deposits
• AB 2747 by Assemblymember Matt Haney — Tenancy: credit reporting
• SB 611 By Senator Caroline Menjivar — Residential rental properties: fees and security
• SB 900 by Senator Tom Umberg — Common interest developments: repair and maintenance

Tribal Housing

• AB 1878 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia — Housing programs: tribal housing program
• SB 1187 by Senator pro tem Mike McGuire — Housing programs: Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act

Wildomar Rap opinion time

What we need most is an informed electorate. 

Very often I run into people who think that common sense is what rules the day in politics, which is a flat out joke.

If someone would make a graph of housing costs and government interference (the road to Hell paved with good intentions and all) we'd see a direct correlation. 

Above and below you'll see dozens of new laws added to the books with the desired intention of making housing more affordable for all, but we all know that there will be an inverse reaction that will see affordability issues compound to the negative over time. 

Remember, elections have consequences. Yet, I don't see the voters of California wising up and changing out the one-party rule that has systematically made this state ever-increasingly too expensive for most people. 

Look on the bright side of things, next year there are sure to be dozens more similar bills looking to remove local control and push their one-size-fits-all agenda onto those of us who still live here that Governor Newsom is sure to sign.

• AB 3093 (Ward) — Makes changes to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process, including requiring local governments to account for people with extremely low incomes and those experiencing homelessness in their housing elements.

• AB 1893 (Wicks) — Modifies/clarifies the Builder's Remedy law under the Housing Accountability Act. New Builder's Remedy projects must comply with certain site restrictions, density limits, and other standards. However, builder’s remedy projects will also have a lower percentage of affordable housing required.

• AB 2488 (Ting) — Allows San Francisco to establish a downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing district.

• AB 2667 (Santiago) — Requires local governments to use a new standardized reporting format for the 7th and each subsequent revision of the housing element.

• SB 450 (Atkins) — Makes changes to California’s upzoning law, SB 9. Local governments will be required to approve or deny an application for a new SB 9 unit or lot split within 60 days and provide homeowners with a reason and remedy if their application is denied. It also mandates consistency in local objective zoning, subdivision, and design standards to ease the burden on applicants. 

• SB 1037 (Wiener) — Strengthens the Attorney General’s ability to seek civil penalties against cities that violate state housing laws. 

• SB 1395 (Becker) — Makes it easier for local governments to use tiny homes as shelter for the unhoused.

For a full list of the enacted housing legislation, click here. 

On Thursday, the Governor also announced new guidelines for the HomeKey+ program, which will provide up to $2.2 billion in funding for permanent supportive housing.

At the signing, Newsom took another potshot at cities and counties for their role in the housing and homelessness crisis.

“There’s never been more support to address all of those concerns than in the last four or five years,” Newsom said. “So what gives? Time to do your job. Time to address the crisis of encampments on the streets in this state. And yes, I’m not going to back off from that. And you will see that reflected in my January budget. I’m going to fund success and I’m not going to fund the rhetoric of failure anymore.”

Originally seen at California City News

https://w.californiacitynews.org/2024/09/newsom-signs-housing-legislation-impacting-local-governments.html