Gov. Newsom paves the way for more housing to be built, faster

SAN FRANCISCO – Building on California’s historic efforts to tackle the housing crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to streamline the housing approval process in California and create thousands of good paying jobs. Governor Newsom also announced $1 billion in awards to 30 shovel-ready projects through the California Housing Accelerator – creating 2,755 new homes for Californians.

“California has made historic investments and taken unprecedented actions to tackle the state’s housing crisis over the past four years,” said Governor Newsom. “But we recognize there’s more work to do – this package of smart, much-needed legislation will help us build new homes while rebuilding the middle class. I’m thankful for the leadership of the Legislature for stepping up to meet this moment to help address the affordability crisis that stretches across the entire nation.”

Governor Newsom signed the housing package alongside legislative, local, housing, and labor leaders, at the future site of an affordable housing community in San Francisco.

“SB 6 and AB 2011 are game changers when it comes to producing desperately needed housing for all income levels,” said Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins. “These two bills are the culmination of many years of work to find solutions that streamline the regulatory process and ensure that workers building homes are being paid a fair wage. I applaud Senator Anna Caballero and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks for their dynamic teamwork and tireless dedication to serving their communities, and our state. I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for signing these bills, and to Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, Speaker Anthony Rendon, and our labor partners for helping make this victory possible. With these laws in place, we will soon see more building and more jobs, and more families will be able to achieve the California Dream.”

“Today’s signings demonstrate that we can make real progress on improving California’s housing outlook, despite the many challenges we face,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. “In particular, AB 2011 shows what can be accomplished when disparate advocates team up on a critical goal. And, of course, the Assembly is proud to have been able to team up with the Senate and the Governor to make this all a reality.”

AB 2011 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and SB 6 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) together will:

• Help create much-needed new housing units for low and middle income Californians by allowing housing to be built in underutilized commercial sites currently zoned for retail, office, and parking uses.
• Generate thousands of jobs with health benefits and good wages – and encourage apprenticeships.
• Increase use of public transit by building housing near existing transit or near corridors for new transit.

“The Middle-Class Housing Act or SB 6 can result in the construction of at least 2 million housing units and is one solution to build up and avoid sprawl,” said Senator Anna M. Caballero. “SB6 gives local governments the option for an expedited development process to avoid the property remaining vacant.  SB6 includes strong worker protections to ensure that homes built under SB6 pay workers fair wages and prioritizes the use of a skilled and trained workforce. The bottom line is that SB6 is transformational for cities and middle-class families which coupled with historic state investments, families will have a real chance at being able to buy a home of their dreams.”

“Today we are taking a monumental step in our efforts to turn our housing crisis in a different direction,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. “The Governor’s signature on AB 2011 marks a turning point for California’s housing production needs — no longer will lack of land be an issue. No longer will there be a lack of incentive for workers to join the construction workforce. And, no longer will red tape and bureaucracy prohibit us from building housing in the right locations to address our climate crisis.”

“This legislation will help create millions of desperately needed new homes and protect the workers who will build it,” said Doug McCarron, General President, United Brotherhood of Carpenters. “Importantly, it will give the workers an opportunity to afford the housing they’re building. I want to commend Governor Newsom and the California State Legislature for advancing this ambitious and necessary housing package.”

The Governor also announced that the Department of Housing and Community Development is awarding $1.02 billion in funding for the second round of the California Housing Accelerator, providing funding to 30 shovel-ready projects whose financing has been stalled because they have been unable to obtain tax credits. These new awards will help get construction underway quickly for 2,755 new housing units throughout the state. To date, $1.9 billion in funding for the California Housing Accelerator has been awarded, supporting a total of 57 projects to produce a total of 5,071 units. The vast majority of these units will be for extremely low to very low-income households and unhoused residents, and will provide affordable homes for seniors, families, transitional-age youth, veterans, people with disabilities, essential workers and unhoused individuals.

Last year’s California Comeback Plan invested a historic $10.3 billion – by far the most ever invested in housing – into a comprehensive housing affordability strategy, while also implementing new laws and accountability measures. Building on these unprecedented efforts, this year’s budget invests an additional $3.3 billion for affordable housing production and homeownership opportunities.

A full list of the bills in the housing and homelessness package can be found here:

• AB 252 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) – Floating home marinas: rent caps.
• AB 682 by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) – Planning and zoning: density bonuses: shared housing buildings.
• AB 916 by Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) – Zoning: bedroom addition.
• AB 1206 by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) – Property taxation: affordable housing: welfare exemption.
• AB 1551 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Planning and zoning: development bonuses: mixed-use projects.
• AB 1654 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Low-income housing: insurance tax: credits: farmworker housing.
• AB 1695 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Affordable housing loan and grant programs; adaptive reuse.
• AB 1719 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – Housing: Community College Faculty and Employee Housing Act of 2022.
• AB 1743 by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor ​(D-Inglewood) – General plan: annual report.
• AB 1837 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) – Residential real property: foreclosure.
• AB 1933 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) – Property taxation: welfare exemption: nonprofit corporations: low-income families.
• AB 1978 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – Department of Housing and Community Development: powers.
• AB 1991 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Motels and hotels: publicly funded shelter programs.
• AB 2006 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) – Regulatory agreements: compliance monitoring.
• AB 2011 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) – Affordable Housing and High Road Act of 2022.
• AB 2031 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) – Mobilehome Residency Law: management meetings with homeowners.
• AB 2094 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – General plan: annual report; extremely low-income housing.
• AB 2221 by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) – Accessory dwelling units.
• AB 2234 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Planning and zoning: housing: post entitlement phase permits.
• AB 2295 by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) – Local Educational agencies: housing development projects.
• AB 2334 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) –  Density Bonus Law: affordability: incentives or concessions in very low vehicle travel areas: parking standards: definitions.
• AB 2339 by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) – Housing element: emergency shelters: regional housing need.
• AB 2483 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) – Housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• AB 2651 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) – Property taxes: welfare exemption: community land trust.
• AB 2653 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Planning and Zoning Law: housing elements.
• AB 2668 by Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) – Planning and zoning.
• SB 6 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) –  Local planning: housing: commercial zones.
• SB 649 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) – Local governments: affordable housing; local tenant preference.
• SB 679 by Senator Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) – Los Angeles County: affordable housing.
• SB 869 by Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino) – Housing: mobilehome parks: recreational Vehicle parks: manager training.
• SB 886 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: public universities: university housing development projects.
• SB 897 by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) – Accessory dwelling units: junior accessory dwelling units.
• SB 914 by Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) – HELP Act.
• SB 940 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Mobilehome parks: local ordinances.
• SB 948 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Housing finance programs: development reserves.
• SB 959 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) – Surplus residential property: use of funds: priorities and procedures: City of Pasadena.
• SB 1252 by the Committee on Housing – Housing.
• SB 1307 by Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) – Department of Housing and Community Development: Mobilehome Parks Act: Special Occupancy Parks Act.
• SB 1396 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Tenancy: credit reporting: lower income households: evaluation.
• SB 1421 by Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) – California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
• SB 1444 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Joint powers authorities: South Bay Regional Housing Trust.

For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.