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Legislature Acts on Several CHC-Supported Housing Bills in Advance of House of Origin Deadline
AB 2817 (Chiu), which would expand the state low income housing tax credit program by $300 million and the farmworker housing tax credit by $24.5 million, passed 79-0. The provisions of this bill are also a component of the Assembly Housing Proposal, which will be discussed in Conference Committee.
AB 2502 (Mullin), which clarifies state law and restores local control to cities and counties to implement inclusionary housing policies that fit the needs of their communities, was not taken up for a floor vote. Instead the bill was granted a rule waiver and was re-referred to the Assembly Local Government Committee, avoiding the legislative deadline.
SB 879 (Beall), which would provide $3 billion through a statewide housing bond to fund existing critical and successful affordable housing programs in California, passed 28-9. This measure requires super majority approval and the final vote included aye votes from two Republicans, Senators Cannella and Huff. In Senator Beall's press release, Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León stated, "Housing affordability may be the single most pressing economic issue for middle- and working-class Californians today. I applaud Senator Beall for his leadership in crafting this thoughtful and timely proposal and I look forward to working with the Assembly and Governor to find the right solution." CHC Executive Director, Ray Pearl, was also quoted in the release, available online.
SB 873 (Beall), which would allow for the certification of state low income housing tax credits and eliminate the bifurcation sunset date, passed 39-0. The provisions of this bill were also adopted as trailer bill language in the Senate Budget Committee and will be discussed in Conference Committee.
Several other CHC-supported bills, including AB 2501 (Bloom), AB 2031 (Bonta), AB 2140 (Hernandez), AB 2208 (Santiago), AB 1934 (Santiago), AB 2818 (Chiu), SB 1069 (Wieckowski) and AB 2299 (Bloom) also passed their respective houses of origin.
Conference Committee Begins Hearing Housing Items
California budget negotiations have moved into high gear with the naming of Senate and Assembly members to the budget Conference Committee earlier this week. The conference committee's job is to find agreement among the three competing state budget proposals before June 15, when it must submit a final version to both houses to be voted on. The final budget agreement must be signed by the governor by the end of the month.
| Assembly Conferees: | Senate Conferees: | Assemblymember Ting, Chair
Assemblymember Bloom
Assemblymember Gonzalez
Assemblymember Obernolte
Assemblymember Olsen | Senator Leno, Vice Chair
Senator Lara
Senator Hancock
Senator Nielsen
Senator Bates |
Today, Conference Committee began discussions on the Cap and Trade program and all three major housing proposals--the Assembly proposal to invest $650 million in existing state housing programs, the Senate's No Place Like Home proposal, and the Governor's Streamlining Affordable Housing Approvals proposal. The committee took no action on the items, which we expect them to do for all budget items prior to making any determinations.
Most of the Cap and Trade discussion centered around the uncertainty for the program and the markets due to the pending lawsuit by CA Chamber regarding the legality of cap and trade funds authorized with only a majority vote, the 2020 sunset date, and the minimal auction proceeds from the latest auction. However, the Department of Finance reaffirmed their belief that the programs meet the legal requirements and reinforced the Administration's support for the continuous appropriations proposed in the budget, which includes $400 million in a continuous appropriation to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC).
The housing discussion focused primarily on the differences between the Administration's, Assembly's, and Senate's respective housing proposals and outlined the points raised on pages 20-24 of the committee's agenda. CHC and a coalition of housing advocates submitted a support if amended letter to the Administration and legislative leadership last week, outlining our support for streamlining multifamily housing approvals, but also the need for a comprehensive solution that incorporates the Assembly and Senate funding proposals. The letter also makes several recommendations for strengthening the provisions of the proposed trailer bill. The Administration released an updated draft of their "by right" proposal late last week and, during conference committee discussion, the Department of Finance noted that any funding above the current amounts need to be considered within the context of the "by right" proposal. |
California Housing Consortium
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