2023 Policy Agenda
This is a PAST agenda.
Please click here for the Housing California 2024 Policy Priorities.
Sponsored Bills
Affordable Housing
SB 225 (Caballero): 2 YEAR BILL
Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program (CAPP)
This bill provides state funding and technical assistance to support the acquisition and preservation of unsubsidized affordable housing and its stewardship as permanently affordable. Assemblymember Matt Haney is co-authoring/championing this effort in the Assembly. The legislation is tied to a $500 million budget request.
2-year bill introduced in 2023.
AB 312 (Reyes)
State Partnership for Affordable Housing Registries in California (SPAHRC) Grant Program
Coauthored with Assemblymember Ward, this bill would have enabled the Department of Housing and Community Development to implement a pilot program creating a streamlined, standard model for listing available and forthcoming affordable housing units, and for Californians to search for and apply to those units. The legislation was tied to a $25 million budget request.
SPAHRC aligns with Policy Solution E10 in the Roadmap Home 2030
AB 919 (Kalra)
Stable Homes Act
This bill will to establish a statewide policy giving tenants, local public agencies, and mission-driven nonprofits the first opportunity to purchase rental housing properties when owners put those properties up for sale, and a right to match an offer on those properties made by a third party, helping to keep families in their homes and preserve at-risk rental housing on the market as permanently affordable.
AB 919 aligns with Policy Solution A14 in the Roadmap Home 2030
AB 1307 (Wicks): Signed by the Governor
No CEQA on Unamplified Voices
AB 1307 would directly and narrowly address the Court’s ruling in the case of “Make UC A Good Neighbor et al. v. Regents of the University of California.” Specifically, it would say that noise generated by the unamplified voices of residents in a residential project cannot be considered a significant effect on the environment under CEQA. By making this change, AB 1307 would remove the potential for litigants to challenge residential development based on the speculation that the new residents will create unwanted noises. It would also reestablish existing precedent that minor and intermittent noise nuisances, such as from unamplified human voices, be addressed through local nuisance ordinances and not via CEQA. As such, no longer could CEQA consider “people as pollution.”
AB 1449 (Alvarez): On the Floor
CEQA Exemption for Affordable Housing
This bill would exempt affordable housing funded through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It was ordered for a third reading and is now on the floor.
Homelessness
AB 799 (L. Rivas): Do pass but held on floor
Homelessness Accountability and Results Act
This bill will strengthen local and state collaboration and accountability for reductions in homelessness. The bill seeks to strengthen the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Program to enhance oversight and transparency on State spending, tie funding to achievement of specific outcomes, ensure taxpayer dollars fund solutions promoting reductions to homelessness and improve other specific outcomes for Californians experiencing homelessness, strengthen regional collaboration and homeless services workforce capacity, and advance racial equity in California’s homeless response systems. This bill also commits to securing ongoing funding to achieve reductions in the number of Californians experiencing homelessness.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading. This bill will be held on the floor.
AB 920 (Bryan)
Housing Status Anti-Discrimination Protection This bill adds “housing status” to the list of protected categories under California discrimination law, barring discrimination against people on the basis of their housing status from unequal treatment under programs administered, funded, or overseen by the state.
Housing Stability
AB 653 (Reyes): 2-Year Bill
Housing Voucher Utilization Program
AB 653 creates a program that would provide resources to increase voucher utilizations, including housing navigation, landlord incentives, and security deposits. The program is building off of several successful programs locally and will help utilize many of California’s tens of thousands of unused federal housing choice vouchers. This legislation is aligned with a $200 million budget request to be used over 2 years.
2-year bill introduced in 2023.
Other Priority Legislation
Support
AB 1386 (Gabriel): ON THE SENATE FLOOR
Veteran-specific Supportive Housing
This bill would increase the flexibility of California’s efforts on veteran homelessness to ensure veteran-specific supportive housing quickly and expeditiously rehouses our most vulnerable veterans experiencing homelessness.
AB 1657 (Wicks): 2-Year Bill
New Housing Bond
This bill would place an affordable housing bond on the 2024 ballot. 2-year bill introduced in 2023.
SB 18 (McGuire): ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR
Tribal Housing Grant Program
This bill would provide equitable access to financing so federally recognized tribes can provide decent, affordable, and sustainable homes for low- and moderate-income community members in a manner that respects Tribal sovereignty and cultural heritage.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading.
ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry): IN SENATE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
Lower Voter Threshold
This constitutional amendment would place on the November 2024 ballot an initiative to reduce the local vote threshold from two-thirds to 55% for approval of bond and special tax measures to fund the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of infrastructure, including homes affordable to households earning up to 150% of the area median income.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading.
SB 567 (Durazo): ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR
Homelessness Prevention Act
This bill closes loopholes in the no fault cause provisions of the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) and strengthens enforcement of the law.
AB 1085 (Maienschein): ON THE SENATE FLOOR
Medi-Cal Benefit for Housing Services
This bill would require the California Department of Health Care Services to seek federal approval of a Medi-Cal housing support services benefit.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading.
SB 469 (Allen & Weiner)
Removing Barriers to State-Funded Affordable Housing
This bill exempts LIHTC and HCD-funded developments from Article 34.
SB 482 (Blakespear): ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR
Capitalized Operating Subsidy Reserves
This bill requires HCD to offer capitalized operating subsidy reserves for supportive units under the Multifamily Housing Program.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading.
AB 84 (Ward): ON THE SENATE FLOOR
Property Tax: Welfare Exemption: Affordable Housing
This bill allows the welfare property tax exemption for affordable housing to take effect upon recordation of deed-restrictions.
A motion was made in committee to approve the bill for passage. The recommendation is then placed on second reading.
Opposed
AB 257 (Hoover)
Encampments
This bill would prohibit a person from sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property in any street, sidewalk, or other public property within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, park, or library.
SB 31 (Jones)
Encampments
This bill would prohibit a person from sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property upon any street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way within 1000 feet of a sensitive area, as defined.