This week in affordable housing news…:

State update:

• Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) was named chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development this week, succeeding former Asm. David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who recently left the Legislature to serve as San Francisco City Attorney. “Asm. Wicks’ policy experiences, at many levels, inside and outside of government have been invaluable on the Housing Committee under its previous chair,” Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon said in a statement. “She has the know-how to keep this committee working at the forefront of housing policy. We must keep California focused on this issue and she can do it.”

• Asm. Wicks joined CHC’s Policy Forum today in her first event as housing committee chair, speaking with Asm. Tim Grayson (D-Concord) and CHC’s Ray Pearl about what’s in store for affordable housing next year. “We’re not doing enough on housing as a state. We need to do more, and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and dive in and try to be part of the solution,” Wicks said. “This is an urgent humanitarian issue we’re dealing with, and we have to treat it with that urgency.” After a year of legislative deadlock on major housing legislation, Wicks said with new leadership in the Legislature and among stakeholders, she is “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects for a breakthrough in 2022: “We all share the same goal here—to solve the housing crisis and to ensure everyone has a roof over their heads. We all want that, and that’s our mission now in the Assembly, to drive solutions toward that in the Capitol.”

• Among the issues discussed at CHC’s Policy Forum was the release this week of the initial report from the Assembly Housing Working Group, which conducted a series of regional roundtables this fall with CHC members and other housing stakeholders. “We operate in Sacramento under the mantra ‘one size doesn’t fit all,’” said Asm. Grayson, who co-founded the group and developed the idea of a multi-stop “listening tour” with Asm. Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). “The key to the whole tour was to go and listen to all stakeholders, from city staff to housing advocates and developers…and to hear them tell us what the challenges are and what is unique to their region.” The group’s final report (available here) is intended to serve as a “strategic guide to addressing the housing crisis”—and includes a number of policy ideas supported by affordable housing advocates. Among them: Making funding for affordable production a “permanent allocation” in the state budget, increasing resources for affordable housing and related infrastructure and operating costs, and funding low- and zero-interest loans for affordable developers. The report also includes several notable workforce ideas, highlighting the need for an assessment of “whether there are enough construction workers needed to build the necessary housing in each region”—along with related proposals to increase investment in training programs.

• As preparations for the next session continue, the policy landscape will be impacted by a wave of Assemblymembers at the end of their terms who have begun to announce their departures from the Legislature. In addition to former Asm. Chiu, notable recent departures include: Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) and Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco), who are running for Congress; Marc Levine (D-Greenbrae), running for insurance commissioner; Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), running for the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors; and Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), who is resigning to work in the transportation sector. Asm. Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) was recently endorsed by California Labor Federation as its next director, though she has not yet accepted the position. Asm. Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) has also said he will not seek reelection in 2022. Several former Assemblymembers have been appointed to other posts in the last year: Rob Bonta is now serving as Attorney General, Shirley Weber as Secretary of State, and Ed Chau was recently appointed to serve as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.

ICYMI – Top news stories:

It’s one of California’s most YIMBY city councils — and one of the few surpassing housing goals
San Francisco Chronicle
The state’s aggressive push to strong-arm cities into building more housing has provoked protests and hand-wringing across California. But one Bay Area town, the small East Bay city of Emeryville, is shooting to not only meet the target but exceed it by a mile. Rather than joining 27 Bay Area cities in appealing its Regional Housing Needs Allocation—arguments ranged from traffic concerns to seismic safety issue—Emeryville is seeking to qualify as a “pro-housing city” under a new state program. That means the city must top its state-mandated RHNA allocation by 50%—in the case of Emeryville that’s about 2,700 units instead of 1,800, according to City Manager Christine Daniel. Pro-housing-designated cities have an advantage in applying for state housing funds. “We think we can reach 150% of our assigned RHNA goal,” Daniel said.

60 years after being taken for abandoned L.A. freeway, homes may get new life
Los Angeles Times
Six decades after California transportation officials began seizing hundreds of properties for a freeway project that never came, Los Angeles leaders have unveiled a proposal to replace the decaying vacant homes and dirt-filled lots in the El Sereno neighborhood with new parks and housing. If the plan comes to fruition, it would be a major step forward in the saga involving the curtailed 710 Freeway, which hit a wall of opposition before it could stretch into wealthier communities. “The time is finally here to restore the community of El Sereno and make it whole again,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León, who represents the neighborhood, at a news conference introducing the plan.

State to Anaheim: Angel Stadium sale violates affordable housing law
Los Angeles Daily News
Anaheim broke an affordable housing law with its deal to sell Angel Stadium, state officials said Wednesday, but it has several avenues to fix the situation. The city could solicit proposals for the 150-acre site from affordable housing developers, put the property out for competitive bidding or significantly change the mix of homes versus commercial development allowed on the land. Otherwise, it faces a fine of about $96 million. City leaders have 60 days to make some big decisions after state Housing and Community Development officials issued a notice Wednesday morning that the stadium deal violated the Surplus Land Act. The letter came after a lengthy investigation and months of negotiations between the city and state.