Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), and Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin (D-San Mateo) recently announced four bills to address California’s affordable housing crisis. These bills will fund production of housing for low-income families, incentivize local governments to complete upfront planning and environmental review and approve housing permits to increase housing supply, fund the enforcement of existing state housing law by the Attorney General, and provide rental assistance to homeless Medi-Cal recipients.
Assemblymember Chiu is also working with colleagues and stakeholders on additional legislation for introduction in early 2017. These efforts include proposals similar to a Massachusetts law that streamlines the approval of housing projects with high affordable levels and creates a state appeals board to review local denials of affordable projects. Lawmakers are also looking at strategies to create greater responsibility for housing at the regional level in response to situations like a proposed commercial-only development in Brisbane as well as ways to strengthen the state’s fair share housing law.
The four bills are:
- AB 71 (Chiu; Co-authors: Ting and Mullin) Bring California Home Act: This bill provides an ongoing state funding source for affordable housing by eliminating the state mortgage interest deduction on vacation homes. This deduction results in a revenue loss to the state of approximately $300 million annually. The funds saved as a result of eliminating the deduction would then increase the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program by $300 million per year.
- AB 72 (Santiago; Joint author: Chiu; Co-author: Mullin) Increased Enforcement of Existing State Housing Laws: This bill appropriates funds to the Attorney General (AG) to enforce existing state housing laws. There are various laws at the state level to hold local communities accountable in approving housing. These include housing element law and the Housing Accountability Act. The AG has had the authority to enforce these laws but does not have funding earmarked for this purpose.
- AB 73 (Chiu; Joint author: Caballero; Co-authors: Mullin, Ting, and Santiago) – Spur production of high density, transit-oriented housing: This bill spurs production of housing on infill sites around public transportation by incentivizing local governments to complete upfront zoning and environmental review and rewarding them when they permit housing.
- AB 74 (Chiu; Joint author: Santiago; Co-author: Mullin) Housing for a Healthy California: Creates the Housing for a Healthy California program to pay for the cost of housing chronically homeless individuals on Medi-Cal who receive services through the Whole Person Care pilot program, Health Homes, or another county controlled funding source.