The Legislature is back from their summer recess in one week and the Senate and Assembly will be on a four-week sprint to wrap up their work by August 31. With housing playing a large role in November’s election and Governor Brown down to just months in his final term, we anticipate a relatively quiet legislative wrap-up.
The Governor remains focused on leaving California in the fiscally stable position that he has worked hard to achieve the last eight years, and he is unlikely to support or sign off on any legislation that requires major investment or long-term spending. Assembly and Senate members up for re-election are also likely to avoid contentious fights over bills.
Nonetheless, CHC has strategically worked this year to sponsor and support smart policies that help build toward our ultimate goal of being able to build more affordable homes for Californians. More detail on specific bills can be found in our In Case You Missed It section. We’re particularly impressed by the potential impact of several of these bills, including AB 2890 (Ting), accelerating development of accessory dwelling units, AB 2797 (Bloom), clarifying the use of density bonuses for low-income housing in the Coastal Zone after a recent appellate court ruling, and AB 2162 (Chiu), streamlining approvals for homeless supportive housing.
It will come as no surprise that even with Governor Brown having time to leave a lasting policy mark for years to come, attention is very much focused on the next governor. (If the latest poll is any indication , there’s good reason most eyes are on Gavin Newsom and what his priorities will be if elected in November.) A recent profile in The Sacramento Bee of Newsom highlighted his take on the state’s homelessness crisis: “Right now, there is no plan in the state of California,” he said. “There are no goals, there are no objectives, there are no timelines. There is no intentionality emanating from Sacramento.”
It’s a refrain all too familiar to affordable housing advocates – a lack of statewide plan for addressing our affordable housing and homelessness crises. Whether Newsom – or any statewide elected leader – will be able to create the plan we need and bring in the level of new investment needed to build more affordable homes, only time will tell. Still, it’s encouraging to see the leading gubernatorial candidate say on record: “The deeper issue is housing – that’s a money issue.”
On that, we can all agree.
Sincerely,
Ray Pearl
CHC Executive Director
