Gov. Gavin Newsom finished signing bills at the end of September, drawing the California legislative session to a close. This year, we celebrated many victories for affordable housing, which were made possible by the incredible partnerships and coalitions with which we are proud to work.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the Governor and our leaders in the Legislature for their work this year.
Among others, some victories include legislation to strengthen key tools for affordable housing preservation, increase transparency in the process of building new homes, and create a new tribal housing program. In total, Enterprise supported 16 bills, of which nine advanced through the session and one state constitutional amendment, Proposition 5, which will head to voters this November and would set the voter threshold for local affordable housing and public infrastructure bonds at 55 percent.
Setting the Stage to Unlock Local Resources (ACA 10 and AB 2813)
One of the major victories for affordable housing in California during the 2023 legislative session was the passage of Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 1 (Aguiar-Curry). This year, ACA 10 (Aguiar-Curry) successfully passed to amend ACA 1 to focus the measure specifically on affordable housing and infrastructure bonds. ACA 10 is a historic opportunity to make our state more democratic and give local jurisdictions the ability to raise much-needed funds for affordable housing.
Enterprise is proud to have partnered with Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry on these critical measures and worked alongside partners across the state to set this historic stage for unlocking local resources. Now, this measure will head to voters on the November 2024 ballot as Proposition 5. If you want more information about passing this important measure, check out our blog on the benefits of Prop 5.
Impactful Policies Advance Production, Preservation, and Transparency
The following bills will also play an important role in advancing affordable housing production and preservation and increase transparency to the process of building and preserving homes. These bills have all been signed into law by Gov. Newsom.
- SB 1187 (McGuire): Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act. This bill creates a new tribal housing program, the Tribal Housing Grant Program (THGP) in the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for the construction and rehabilitation of rental and for-sale housing. The program will also provide technical assistance to help tribal governments navigate complex regulations that often hinder tribal housing projects.
- SB 1210 (Skinner): New housing construction: electrical, gas, sewer, and water service: service connection information. This bill requires electrical, gas, sewer, and water service utilities to post estimated fees and timeframes for new service connections needed to connect new housing construction projects.
- AB 1053 (Gabriel): Affordable Housing Construction Loans. This bill allows a borrower to request funding from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as a construction loan, the traditional permanent financing option, or a combination of both.
- AB 2926 (Kalra): Preserving Affordable Housing by Strengthening the Preservation Notice Law. This bill makes several changes to the Preservation Notice Law (PNL), including requiring an owner of an assisted housing development to accept a bona fide offer from a qualified entity to purchase and to execute a purchase agreement.
- AB 2533 (Carrillo): Unpermitted ADU Amnesty. This bill makes improvements to existing unpermitted accessory dwelling unit (ADU) amnesty laws, helping to preserve existing informal ADU rentals while ensuring the safety of tenants.
- SB 1211 (Skinner): Multifamily ADUs. This bill updates existing ADU law to improve flexibility around how accessory dwelling units (ADUs) can be built alongside existing multifamily housing.
- SB 1077 (Blakespear): ADUs in the Coastal Zone. This bill requires the California Coastal Commission to coordinate with the California Department of Housing and Community (HCD), to develop and provide guidance for local governments to facilitate the preparation of amendments to a local coastal program to clarify and simplify the permitting process for ADUs and JADUs within the coastal zone.
Looking Ahead
Although we celebrate this year's many wins, several Enterprise priorities did not move forward. These include efforts to create a new preservation program for unsubsidized affordable housing, a new state affordable housing bond, and bills to expand resources for affordable housing on an ongoing basis.
Enterprise is proud to have played a role in advancing these bills and we are committed to continuing to pursue these important policies in the coming years both through legislation and necessary budget advocacy.
In the next year, we remain steadfast in our advocacy for policies that aim to address pressing issues facing affordable housing that prioritize the preservation of affordable housing, affordable housing provider sustainability, tenant protections, and streamlining development at the intersection of climate and housing.
Overall, Enterprise is grateful to all our incredible partners and coalitions for their unwavering commitment to help advance affordable housing policy. Let us continue our coordinated efforts and advocacy so we may keep the momentum going towards ensuring everyone has an affordable, stable, and safe place to call home.
For more information on our legislative efforts, contact Justine Marcus.
