Assembly
AB 15 (SUPPORT) (Chiu) Tenant Stabilization Act of 2021
If the provisions of AB 3088 expire even as COVID-19 continues to surge, a near-certain wave of evictions will follow, causing enormous harm to those evicted, to neighborhoods, and to local governments. Therefore, it is crucial to extend the provisions of AB 3088 as one measure to reduce the damage from the pandemic. AB 15 reasonably extends the provisions of AB 3088 for just such a purpose.
AB 115 (Support) (Bloom) Residential Housing Development in Commercial Zones
Assembly Bill 115 would require that a housing development in which at least 20% of the units have an affordable housing cost or affordable rent for lower-income households shall be an authorized use on a site designated in a local agency’s zoning code or maps for commercial uses.
AB 345 (Support) (Quirk-Silva) Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Separate Conveyance to Affordable Housing Non-Profit Organizations
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, AB 345, which would require local jurisdictions to allow an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to be sold or conveyed separately from the primary residence to specified affordable housing organizations, to create ownership units for low-income families.
AB 491 (Support) (Gonzalez) Affordable Housing – Access to Amenities in Multi-Family Developments
Assembly Bill 491 would require that new mixed-income multifamily developments offer the same access to common entrances and amenities to occupants of the affordable housing units in the structure as is provided to occupants of the market-rate housing units. The bill would also prohibit developments from isolating the affordable housing units within the structure to a specific floor or an area on a specific floor.
AB 537 (Removal of Opposition – Joint Letter) (QUIRK) Communications: wireless telecommunications and broadband facilities.
Assembly Bill 537 attempts to expedite the siting of wireless facilities by establishing additional limitations on local government permit application review with confusing processing time frames and unclear impacts. Specifically, the proposed language in Government Code section 65964.1(a), providing that when an application is deemed approved, “all necessary permits shall be deemed issued,” is ambiguous and problematic. The intended effects of this language, and what it adds to the fact of deemed approval, are uncertain.
AB 561 (Support) (Ting) Assistance with ADU Financing Through New “Help Homeowners Add New Housing Program”
Assembly Bill 591 creates the Help Homeowners Add New Housing Program. Specifically, AB 561 would establish a state-backed lending program to encourage banks, credit unions, and other mortgage originators to make construction loans to homeowners to bridge existing federally backed loans to construct additional housing units on their property, including accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units.
AB 571 (SUPPORT AS AMENDED) (MAYES) DENSITY BONUS AFFORDABLE UNITES FEE PROHIBITIONS
Assembly Bill 571 would prohibit affordable housing impact fees, including inclusionary zoning fees, in-lieu fees, and public benefit fees, from being imposed on a housing development’s affordable units, if a project is proposed under the state’s density bonus law.
AB 585 (Support, Group Letter) (L. Rivas) Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program
This landmark bill will coordinate and enhance the state’s existing efforts to effectively address extreme heat and create a platform to support efforts by local governments and stakeholders, protecting communities from this escalating climate hazard.
AB 602 (Oppose Unless Amended) (Grayson) Development Fees – Impact Fee Nexus Study
Assembly Bill 602 would make significant changes to laws governing local development impact fee programs and create new state and local costs.
AB 642 (Support) (Friedman) Fire Prevention Preparation and Prescribed Burns
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, AB 642, which makes a number of important changes to support cultural and prescribed burning, requires CAL FIRE to identify moderate and high fire hazard severity zones through updating maps and expands fire safety building standards.
AB 721 (SUPPORT) (BLOOM) PROHIBITION OF EXCLUSIONARY HOUSING COVENANTS
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, AB 721, which would clarify that density restrictions in private covenants cannot be used to limit an affordable or supportive housing development that is otherwise consistent with local zoning.
AB 787 (Support) (Gabriel) Conversion of Market Rate Housing into Affordable Housing
Assembly Bill 787 would authorize local governments to count any units in an existing multifamily building that are converted to deed restricted housing for very low-, low- or moderate-income households towards their share of the regional housing need (RHNA) as long as specified conditions are met.
AB 816 (Concerns) (Chiu) State and Local Agencies — Actionable Homeless Plans
Assembly Bill 816, would, among other things, require local governments to develop actionable homelessness plans and meet specified goals and reductions targets to reduce homelessness.
AB 819 (Support as Amended) (Levine) Online CEQA Noticing Requirements
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, AB 819, as amended March 17. Your bill requires lead agencies to post various California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) notices and/or exemptions on its internet website and submit electronically to the State Clearinghouse. Recent amendments remove the requirement that the project applicant also be held responsible to post these documents on their own private website.
AB 880 (Support) (Aguiar-Curry) Affordable Disaster Housing Revolving Development and Acquisition Program
Assembly Bill 880, would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, establish the Affordable Disaster Housing Revolving Development and Acquisition Program. This program would expedite relief funding for the development or preservation of affordable housing in the state’s declared disaster areas that have experienced damage or loss of homes that were occupied by lower-income households.
AB 950 (Support) (Ward) Caltrans Sale of Excess Property for Affordable Housing Purposes
Assembly Bill 950 would authorize the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to sell its excess real property to the city, county, or city and county where the real property is located if the local government agrees to use the real property for the sole purpose of implementing affordable housing. This bill would also exempt these transfers and sales from the California Environmental Quality Act.
AB 989 (Neutral as Amended) (Gabriel) New Housing Development Appeals Committee
Assembly Bill 989 would create a new Housing Accountability Committee (HAC) within the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), comprised of five members appointed by the Governor, to receive appeals from applicants when a local government denies a multifamily housing projects of ten units or more, emergency shelters, or approves the development subject to conditions that the applicant’s judgment render the project economically infeasible.
AB 1401 (Support) (Friedman) Statewide Prohibitions on Minimum Parking Requirements for Residential and Commercial Developments Near Public Transit
Assembly Bill 1401 would prohibit a local government from imposing or enforcing minimum automobile parking requirements for both residential and commercial developments if such developments are located within a ½ mile of public transit.
APA California is supportive of the goals of your bill and other efforts that encourage developing walkable communities, enhance high-quality transit options that serve the needs of residents, and reduce reliance on private automobiles throughout cities and counties statewide. With these goals in mind, our organization is also supportive of encouraging housing, particularly affordable housing, and planning for the needs of all community members that may or may not rely on a car.
AB 1423 (Support) (Daly) Housing programs: multifamily housing programs: expenditure of loan proceeds.
Assembly Bill 1423 would allow developers to receive grant funding from the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) during the construction period thereby saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in construction period interest expenses.
ACA 1 (Support) (Aguiar-Curry) Local Government Financing for Affordable Housing and Infrastructure
The American Planning Association, California Chapter is pleased to support ACA 1, which would amend the California Constitution, subject to approval by voters at a statewide election, to allow a city, county,
or special district, with 55% voter approval, to incur bonded indebtedness or impose specified special taxes to fund projects for affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, or public infrastructure.
Senate
SB 1 (Support) (Atkins) The California Sea Level Rise Mitigation and Adaptation Act of 2021
Senate Bill 1, which would establish the California Sea Level Rise Mitigation and Adaptation Act of 2021 and creates a new program at the Ocean Protection Council to help coordinate and fund state and local efforts to
prepare for sea level rise.
SB 6 (Support) (Caballero) Residential Housing Development in Commercial Zones
Senate Bill 6 creates the Neighborhood Homes Act, which establishes a housing development project as an allowable use on a “neighborhood lot,” defined as a parcel within a commercial zone where office and retail uses are permitted, so long as the parcel is not adjacent to an industrial use. The bill also provides for an unspecified amount of the units to be affordable, sets forth a number of additional requirements that the development must meet and sunsets on January 1, 2029.
SB 9 (SUPPORT) (Atkins) Streamlined Approval for Small-Scale Developments of Duplexes and Lot Splits
Senate Bill 9 specifically requires a local jurisdiction to ministerially approve a housing development of up to two units (a duplex) or the subdivision of a parcel map into two equal parcels (an urban lot split), while still allowing a jurisdiction to impose objective zoning and design standards that don’t conflict with the provisions of this bill.
SB 10 (SUPPORT) (Wiener) CEQA Exemption for Upzoning for Residential Density
Senate Bill 10 allows a local jurisdiction to amend its General Plan and zoning to permit up to 10 units of residential density per parcel, at a height specified by the jurisdiction, if the parcel is located in a transit-rich area, jobs rich area, or urban infill site and is not located in a high fire risk area.
SB 12 (Support) (McGuire) Wildfire Planning and Mitigation in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ)
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, SB 12, which makes a number of important changes regarding planning for and permitting development in the very high fire hazard severity zones (VHFHSZ).
SB 63 (SUPPORT) (STERN) NEW FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION STANDARDS
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, SB 63, which makes a number of important changes to enhance fire prevention and protection efforts, including among other things, improved vegetation management, updated standards for homes in very high fire hazard severity zones (VHFHSZ) and consideration for these same standards in moderate fire risk areas.
SB 290 (SUPPORT) (Skinner) Density Bonus Law Benefits for Moderate-Income and Lower-Income Student Housing Units
APA supports providing higher density and other benefits in exchange for higher levels of affordability in projects, including moderate-income units and student units, similar to enhanced density bonus ordinances adopted and working successfully in many cities and counties around the state.
SB 447 (Support as Amended) (Wiener) New General Plan Annual Progress Report Requirements
Senate Bill 477 adds a number of requirements to the annual progress report (APR) that local governments are required to submit to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) each year in relation to their housing elements.
SB 621 (Support) (Eggman) Streamlining for Conversation of Hotels and Motels
The American Planning Association, California Chapter (APA California) is pleased to support your bill, SB 621, which would provide a streamlined process for converting hotels and motels into permanent multifamily housing with a specified percentage of units affordable to lower-income households.
SB 728 (Support) (Hertzberg) Density Bonus Unites Authorized to be Purchased by Nonprofit Housing Organizations
Senate Bill 728 would, as an alternative in Density Bonus Law requirements to ensure an initial occupant of a for-sale unit meets specified income requirements, allow a qualified nonprofit housing organization to purchase the unit as well. This would allow specified nonprofits to provide affordable homeownership opportunities and ensures the unit(s) remains affordable over time.
SCA 2 (Support) (Allen & Wiener) Repeal of Article 34 Voter Approval of Public Housing Projects
Senate Constitutional Amendment 2 proposes to place an initiative on the ballot in 2022 to repeal Article 34 of the California Constitution. Passed by voters in 1950, Article 34 requires a majority approval by the voters of a city or county for the development, construction, or acquisition of a publicly funded “low-rent housing project.”
Budget
(Letter of Support) Budget Surplus/Stimulus Funding for Affordable Housing
We represent a diverse group of stakeholders working together to address California’s housing supply and affordability crisis. We write to express our strong support for allocating at least $3 billion to affordable housing from the $14 billion budget surplus the state has accumulated and the $16 billion the state will receive in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan.
(Letter of Support) State Surplus/American Rescue Plan Investment in Infill Infrastructure Grants
We represent stakeholders working together to address California’s housing supply and affordability crisis while creating sustainable communities. We write to express our strong support for allocating $500 million to the Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG) program from the $14 billion budget surplus the state has accumulated and the $16 billion the state will receive in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan.