In a world of TL;DR, here are my article notes and highlights for
Los Angeles Times Article
“A snapshot of new state government
efforts to tackle California’s housing crisis”
Los Angeles Times Article
By: Hannah Wiley / Staff Writer
Link to Article: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-11/new-state-government-efforts-to-tackle-california-housing-crisis
Article Notes and Highlights:
- Senate Bill 9 – Law that went into effect January 2022 and allows homeowners to build up to four units on their single-family lots
- Senate Bill 10 – Allows cities to streamline the development of small apartments up to 10 units if they are near transit and job-rich areas.
- Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) introduces Assembly Constitutional Amendment 14 – Sets aside 5.00% of state general fund dollars for housing and homelessness every year over the next decade = $10B – 75% affordable / 25% rental assistance
- State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) expects Senate Bill 886 to avoid controversy like the UC Berkeley Legal dispute over housing expansion. The Bill would exempt on-campus student and faculty housing projects from the state’s stringent environmental review.
- Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) introduced a proposal AB-1602 for a $5-billion loan program to help public college build an estimated 25,000 new units at below-market-rate for students, faculty and staff.
- Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) pushing to set aside $600 million in this year’s state budget to support affordable homeownership in California. $200 million to go to down payment assistance programs.
- State Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) introduced Senate Bill 1457 to create a $25-billion general obligation bond to increase first-time ownership opportunities. $18 billion would go to finance construction costs. Requires voter approval. Hertzberg would rather no one rent an apartment but own something to create wealth, even if just a co-op or condo.
- Unaffordable Housing – Nearly 40% of households in 2019 were “housing cost burdened,” according to an April report from the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation, which means residents were putting at least 30% of their income toward rent or ownership expenses.
- No Entry Level Homes – Only 58.8% of Californians own homes.
- Expanding the California Department of Housing and Community Development Powers – The 2021-2022 state budget established the department’s Housing Accountability Unit with the goal of helping cities more efficiently execute their state-mandated housing plans and, if necessary, cite them for legal violations.
