th Senator , 11 Senate District

Senate Bill 35 – Housing Accountability & Affordability Act

SUMMARY communities refuse to approve enough Senate Bill 35 ensures that all communities in housing — instead punting housing creation to create the housing we desperately other communities — then the State needs to need to address our statewide housing shortage, ensure that all communities are equitably and spur the creation of housing in California contributing to regional housing needs. Local by streamlining the approval process. control must be about how a community meets

its housing goals, not whether it meets those BACKGROUND/EXISTING LAW goals. Too many communities either ignore California is in the depths of a housing their housing goals or set up processes designed shortage. Our State’s housing production has to impede housing creation. Allowing local not kept pace with population growth, communities to ignore their responsibility to particularly for low and middle income create housing has led to a housing disaster — residents. California households in the bottom triggering huge economic, environmental, and quarter of the income distribution—the poorest social problems. 25 percent of households—report spending four times more of their income (67 percent, on average) than households in the top quarter of SOLUTION the income distribution (16 percent, on Under SB 35, as amended, cities that are on average). track to meet their RHNA housing production goals at all income levels will retain full local Every 8 years, each California city receives a control over how they approve housing. When Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) cities do not meet their housing obligations, goal from the Department of Housing and approval of qualified housing projects will be Community Development (HCD) for how many streamlined until cities do meet their goals. future units of housing the city must include in its zoning plan. However, HCD cannot require For streamlining to apply, a project must cities to follow through with producing the include housing for certain income levels where housing in their own zoning plan, and too many there is a shortage of production, rigorous communities either ignore RHNA or make standards for construction labor, and meet all inadequate efforts to comply with it. HCD does objective affordability, density, zoning, historic, not comprehensively track housing production and environmental standards outlined in the data. bill.

PROBLEM The new, streamlined approval process will The negative impacts of California’s housing require localities to approve projects only on the shortage threaten our state’s economic growth, basis of whether the project complies with the environmental well-being, and diversity. It is far objective SB 35 qualifying criteria. The too expensive to rent or buy a home in streamlined process applies only when unmet California, which results in displacement, income-based categories are addressed. For evictions, and families being pushed out as they example, if a city is issuing enough approvals to grow. Teachers, retail workers, first responders, meet its above moderate-income housing and other middle-income professionals often RHNA goals but not its low-income housing have crushing commutes as they increasingly goals, streamlining will apply only to those cannot afford to live near their jobs. projects that add a majority low-income units.

California has a long tradition of broad local This bill also requires all charter cities to report control, and in many areas, local communities their annual housing approvals and production are in the best position to judge what makes to HCD, and will require HCD to ensure sense for their residents. However, when local thorough housing production data is up-to-date and publicly accessible on the internet. SB 35 Fact Sheet – Updated 5.30.2017 Over Currently, general law cities must report their  Santa Barbara Rental Property Association housing production annually, but charter cities  Silicon Valley At Home (SV@Home) and city/counties are not required by law to do  Silicon Valley Community Foundation so.  Silicon Valley Leadership Group  State Building & Construction Trades STATUS Council  Passed out of Senate Transportation &  U.S. Green Building Council Housing: 7-3  YIMBY Action  Passed out of Senate Governance & Finance: 4-2 FOR MORE INFORMATION  Passed out of Senate Appropriations: 5-2 Ann Fryman, Legislative Aide  Pending a vote on the Senate Floor [email protected] (916) 651-4011

CO-AUTHORS

 Senator (Principal)

 Senator Ben Allen  Senator Andy Vidak  Assemblymember Anna Caballero

SUPPORT  Abundant Housing LA  Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA)  Bridge Housing  California Apartment Association  California Asian Chamber of Commerce  California Association of Realtors  California Council for Affordable Housing  California Renters Legal Advocacy & Education Fund  Council of Infill Builders  County of Napa  East Bay Forward  Grow the Richmond  Jewish Family Service of San Diego  Local Government Commission  Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce  Mayor Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento  Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco  Mercy Housing  Mission Housing Development Corporation  Natural Resources Defense Council  Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California  Progress Noe Valley  San Francisco Chamber of Commerce  San Francisco Housing Action Coalition  San Francisco Planning & Urban Research (SPUR)  San Francisco Yes-In-My-Back-Yard Party

SB 35 Fact Sheet – Updated 5.30.2017 Over