California Housing Legislation Highlights – April 2023
Categories
– Accessory Dwelling Units
– Affordable Housing: Property Tax
– Affordable Housing Streamlining
– Ballot Measures
– Enforcement of Housing Laws
– Farmworker Housing
– Faster Approvals
– Funding
– General Plan Housing Elements
– Homeownership
– Homelessness
– Mobile Homes, Manufactured Housing
– Parking
– Preserving Affordable Housing
– Public Land
– Re-Entry Housing for Released Prisoners
– Removing Tenant Protections
– Senior Housing
– Social Housing
– Student & School Employee Housing
– Tenant Applications/Fair Housing
– Tenant Protections
– Tribal Housing
– Upzoning
– Utilities and emergency preparedness
– Veterans
– Youth
Click on any Assembly or Senate Bill number below to view official legislation text.
C.A.R. OPPOSING = RED | C.A.R. CO-SPONSORING = BLUE | C.A.R. SUPPORTING = PURPLE
ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
AB 671 | Community land trusts can build and sell ADU, Junior ADU and house to three separate households.
AB 976 | Extends law that allows ADU even if house is rented.
AB 1033 | Anyone can buy ADU separate from the house.
AB 1332 | Requires cities and counties to have pre-approved ADU plans.
AB 1661 | Allows new ADUs to share electric & gas meter with house.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: PROPERTY TAX
AB 84 | Property tax exemptions for land owned by nonprofit but not yet built on, as well as units where tenant income has increased.
AB 430 | Expands tax exemption for community land trusts.
SB 588 | Removes cap on amount of assessed value that can be exempt from property tax.
AB 926 | Tax reduction for businesses that provide housing for low, moderate income, and homeless employees.
AB 1492 | Allows a partial tax exemption for mixed income buildings owned by a nonprofit, proportional to the number of affordable units in the building.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: STREAMLINING
SB 4 | Faster approvals for low income housing on land owned by colleges or religious organizations.
SB 406 | CEQA exemption for local agencies to spend money on low and moderate income housing.
SB 439 | Allows easier dismissal of lawsuits against affordable housing.
SB 469 | Removes local barriers to building affordable housing for projects receiving tax credit funding.
AB 785 | Extends LA affordable housing CEQA exemption.
AB 1449 | Affordable housing CEQA exemption.
AB 1490 | Adaptive reuse of nonresidential buildings for low income housing, streamlined approvals and fee exemptions.
BALLOT MEASURES
ENFORCEMENT OF HOUSING LAWS
FARM WORKER HOUSING
FASTER APPROVALS
SB 239 | Limits filing of CEQA lawsuits: only Attorney General can file.
SB 270 | Extends CEQA exemption in cities’ Housing Sustainability Districts.
AB 356 | Makes permanent that aesthetic impacts are not considered significant.
SB 393 | Discloses who is funding CEQA lawsuits, also exempts projects part of a larger approved plan.
SB 423 | Faster approvals in cities and counties that have not built enough.
SB 450 | Faster approvals and fewer restrictions.
SB 684 | Faster approvals for projects with up to 10 houses.
SB 736 | Simplifies/speeds up building permit process.
SB 794 | Resolves CEQA appeals for most big projects in 1 year, also discloses who is funding CEQA appeal lawsuits.
AB 978 | Requires posting a $500,000 bond to file a CEQA appeal lawsuit against housing.
AB 1114 | Bans rejecting building permits for housing that complies with the building code. Only SF does this.
AB 1532 | Faster approvals and lower fees for office to housing conversions.
FUNDING
SB 20 | Allows multiple cities to create a regional housing fund to build affordable housing.
AB 287 | Prioritizes funding for dense urban areas.
SB 341 | Allows affordable housing developers to access competitive state funding even if the local city is NIMBY and is out of compliance with state law.
AB 346 | More flexible funding allocation for LIHTC.
SB 482 | Operating reserves for supportive housing.
AB 515 | Allow prepayment of loans for housing under the Multifamily Housing Program.
AB 519 | Consolidated funding application.
AB 578 | Limits loan payment costs for permanent supportive housing in the No Place Like Home program.
AB 901 | Allows creation of Affordable Housing Financing Districts that uses taxes from that district for housing.
AB 930 | Allows creation of RISE districts that use taxes from that district for housing and infrastructure.
AB 1053 | Expands state loan program to cover construction loans, in addition to regular loans.
AB 1319 | Expands what BAHFA, the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency, can do, also exempts its projects from CEQA.
GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENTS
HOMEOWNERSHIP
AB 323 | Gives individuals priority before nonprofits for buying affordable ownership unites in a mixed-income development.
AB 572 | Limits HOA fee increases to 5% per year for affordable ownership units.
AB 717 | Inheritance planning education for first-time home buyers.
AB 919 | Gives tenants and nonprofits time to make an offer when building is sold.
AB 1043 | Rules to protect homeowners from shady foreclosure consultants.
AB 1508 | Sets goal to increase first-time homeownership by 20% in 4 years.
HOMELESSNESS
SB 7 | Requires cities to identify places for homeless people to live in their general plan housing element.
SB 31 | Bans homeless from within 1,000 feet of a park, school, daycare or library.
SB 91 | Extends law that streamlines conversions of motels to housing.
SB 221 | $500 tax credit for people renting to a nonprofit using it to house domestic violence survivors.
SB 773 | Allows more low-income households to qualify for CalWORKS Homeless Assistance housing subsidies.
AB 920 | Bans discrimination based on housing status.
AB 1082 | Bans towing or booting of vehicles due to unpaid parking tickets.
AB 1085 | CA to ask Federal Govt. to allow Medi-Cal to cover housing.
AB 1215 | Grants to provide pet housing and services at shelters.
AB 1285 | Prioritizes homeless people when assigning spots in affordable housing.
AB 1431 | Pilot program for rent subsidies for homeless, seniors, unemployed and other populations at high risk of homelessness.
MOBILE HOMES, MANUFACTURED HOUSING
PARKING
SB 529 | Funds shared electric vehicles for affordable housing.
SB 712 | Landlords required to allow bike/scooter parking.
AB 894 | Allow shared parking (such as residential/commercial) to count towards parking requirements.
AB 1308 | No added parking required for house additions or remodels.
AB 1317 | Requires that parking be unbundled from apartment leases.
PRESERVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
PARKING
SB 529 | Funds shared electric vehicles for affordable housing.
SB 712 | Landlords required to allow bike/scooter parking.
AB 894 | Allow shared parking (such as residential/commercial) to count towards parking requirements.
AB 1308 | No added parking required for house additions or remodels.
AB 1317 | Requires that parking be unbundled from apartment leases.
PUBLIC LAND
SB 240 | Streamlined approvals for housing for formerly incarcerated individuals on public land.
AB 480 | Prioritizes affordable housing development when public lands are sold or leased.
AB 510 | Require cities and counties to create affordable housing land trusts exempts; all projects on such land from CEQA.
AB 983 | Makes it easier for a city to sell or lease surplus land in a downtown revitalization plan area.
RE-ENTRY HOUSING FOR RELEASED PRISONERS
REMOVING TENANT PROTECTIONS
AB 500 | Allowing rent increases to be notified by email.
SENIOR HOUSING
SOCIAL HOUSING
STUDENT & SCHOOL EMPLOYEE HOUSING
AB 358 | Speeds up plan check for community college student housing.
AB 1169 | School employee housing funding.
AB 1307 | Unamplified resident voices are not a CEQA impact.
AB 1630 | Allows student housing on all land within 1,000 ft. of a college; no density limit; raises height limit to 40 ft. if it was lower.
AB 1700 | Population growth & noise from new homes aren’t a CEQA impact.
TENANT APPLICATIONS/FAIR HOUSING
AB 12 | Limits security deposits to 1 month of rent.
SB 267 | Section 8 tenants can use alternative to credit score when applying.
AB 312 | Centralized statewide platform for applying for affordable housing.
SB 403 | Bans discrimination based on caste.
AB 485 | Landlord must provide applicant with copy of credit report in 24 hours.
SB 611 | Rental ads must include all monthly fees as well as any move-in deposits/fees.
AB 653 | Incentives for landlords to rent to Section 8 voucher users.
AB 812 | Artist housing can meet 10% of city’s RHNA affordable housing goals.
SB 831 | Intent bill for increased enforcement to stop Section 8 discrimination, as well as banning discrimination against tenants who only have one eviction.
AB 1086 | Allows eavesdropping, recording and intercepting communications to enforce fair housing.
Download/Print Flyer:
TENANT PROTECTIONS
AB 59 | Renters tax credit – large increase.
SB 395 | Statewide database of evictions.
SB 466 | Allows cities to extend rent control to more buildings.
AB 468 | Tenants can get relocation assistance if building is deemed substandard, even if it is not a legal residential unit.
AB 548 | Allow inspection of rest of building if major problems found in one unit.
SB 567 | Lowers the statewide cap on rent increases, expands it to cover more homes.
SB 569 | Small increase in renters’ tax credit.
AB 846 | Limits rent increases in affordable housing.
SB 863 | Extends 3-day notice to pay rent or exit to 7 days.
AB 887 | Rent cap for floating homes in 3 Bay Area counties.
AB 1218 | Expands tenant relocation benefits for demolitions.
AB 1418 | Bans cities from requiring landlords to evict tenants alleged criminal behavior, a convicted family member, etc.
AB 1620 | Allows disabled tenants in a rent controlled building to move to a ground floor unit at the same rent.
TRIBAL HOUSING
UPZONING
SB 294 | More floor area allowed for land zoned for 11+ apartments.
AB 440 | Can base density bonus on general plan density if higher than zoning density.
AB 637 | Density bonus must meet local inclusionary housing rules.
SB 713 | Density bonus law overrides any conflicting local law.
AB 821 | Use general plan density if higher than zoning.
AB 835 | Increase max height for apartment buildings with 1 stair.
AB 1287 | Additional density bonus if moderate income units added.
UTILITIES & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
SB 57 | No residential gas/electric shutoffs for nonpayment if temp below 32F or above 95F.
AB 68 | Faster and easier to build near jobs, schools, transit, etc. Bans up-zoning in wildfire, flood and conservation zones.
SB 83 | Requires electric utility to connect new buildings in 8 weeks.
AB 281 | Requires electric utility to connect new buildings in 8 weeks.
SB 410 | Plan for faster electricity connections and more grid capacity.
AB 586 | Allows Medi-Cal to cover AC, heaters, filters, backup power.
AB 1072 | Water efficiency for low-income residents.
AB 1505 | Funding for earthquake retrofits for soft-story apartments.
AB 1561 | Faster approvals for housing in City of Chico.
VETERANS
YOUTH
SB 9 | Raises max age for foster care benefits from 21 to 22.
AB 369 | Extends Independent Living Program to cover all foster youth up to age 23.
SB 456 | Housing for homeless youth or at-risk of homelessness.
AB 525 | Housing supplement payments for foster care homes and families.
AB 589 | Creates a homeless LGBTQ + youth housing program in San Diego.
AB 867 | Gives people aging out of foster care more time to find housing.
AB 963 | Funding housing for 18-25 year-olds aging out of foster care.