Social housing bills and more: a California legislative update
Let a thousand social housing bills bloom! Depending on how one defines social housing, upwards of five social housing bills have been introduced this session in Sacramento, and many are still moving along. A quick run-down:
SB555 “Stable Affordable Housing Act of 2023”, authored by Aisha Wahab, is a planning and definition bill; Sets 5- and 10-year goals for affordable housing construction and acquisition and requires HCD (Housing and Community Development) to submit a plan to accomplish those goals. Creates definition of social housing, goals of ensuring tenant protections and preventing future privatization. (Status: passed senate, moving through assembly committees at time of writing)
AB309 “The Social Housing Act”, by SV DSA's own Alex Lee, creates a new state entity: The California Housing Authority, tasked with building, maintaining, and actually owning social housing. Takes inspiration from international programs, including Vienna cost-rentals. Will require future actions to fund initial capital expenditures of constructing housing. (Status: passed assembly, moving through senate committees)
SB584 “Laborforce Housing: Short-term Rental Tax Law” (author: Monique Limon); a 15% tax on short-term rentals to fund HCD-coordinated sub-market-rate, not-for-profit housing. Requires 2/3 supermajority as a revenue bill, but has strong labor support. (Status: passed senate, but looks to be tabled until next legislative year)
SB225 “Community Anti-Displacement & Preservation Program” (Author: Anna Caballero) Establishes new program with aim to prevent displacement through acquisition of apartments, with non-binding budget request. (status: passed Senate, in assembly committees)
AB919 “Stable Homes Bill” (Author: Ash Kalra) Moves to make COPA/TOPA (right of refusal for community acquisition of apartments being sold off) statewide; has been shelved until next legislative cycle.
And that's just the social housing (or social housing-adjacent) bills; another key piece of legislation to watch (and act upon) is SB567, “The Homelessness Prevention Act”, by Maria Elena Durazo. Building upon the previously enacted AB1482, “The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019”, which brought anti-gouging and just-cause eviction protection to many (but not all!) tenants statewide, this would plug various loopholes, and increase enforceability. The bill has been extremely contested and watered-down as a result, but tenants are mobilizing statewide to bring it over the finish line. What's also alarming is that AB1482 will sunset in 2030; we need to extend the bill in upcoming years.
Other bills include a mostly symbolic constitutional amendment to a “Fundamental human right to housing”. Keep posted, as we track of how the tenant movement is growing, and how our legislators are beginning to listen.