Housing and Land Use

Goal

Promote policies that enhance the affordability and availability of housing.

Issue Summary

California Housing in  2023

California’s housing crisis is driving many residents and businesses out of state and discouraging new investments from coming in. Unaffordable housing forces many Californians into extra-long commutes, adding more air pollution and traffic congestion, and reducing worker productivity and quality of life. While work-from-home policies may help blunt these impacts, the vast majority of people want to live near the communities in which they work. Furthermore, not all businesses and jobs can accommodate a work-from-home schedule.

Comprehensive reforms of environmental and zoning laws are necessary to remove obstacles that hamper housing construction, add delay and raise new home prices. A comprehensive reevaluation and reform of CEQA is a critical step to spurring housing development in California as abuses continue to plague timely development of housing. Maintaining CEQA’s legacy of protecting human health and the environment is not incongruent with more streamlined housing development.

California Housing in 2023

Helped prevent further damage to California Housing Market in 2018 by encouraging voters to reject an initiative that would have made California’s housing crisis worse, discouraged new construction and reduced housing supply and quality (Proposition 10).

Supported Governor’s veto of a bill in 2017 that would have eliminated Californians’ local initiative power to pursue changes in land use (AB 890).

Stopped bills in 2017 creating significant uncertainty for developers (SB 224) and reducing the supply of rental housing (AB 1506); secured amendments to a proposal imposing prevailing wage on all development projects (AB 199).

Stopped several job killer bills in 2016 eroding housing affordability (AB 2162, AB 2502, SB 1318).

Supported signing of job creator bill in 2016 that will expedite additions to the housing supply by streamlining the permitting process for accessory dwelling units (aka in-law quarters, granny flats, etc.) (SB 1069).

Won enactment of 2016 proposals improving the housing climate by supporting mixed-used projects (AB 1934) and expediting housing construction (AB 2180).

Secured amendments to proposals in 2016 that would have delayed or discouraged new housing with ambiguous water requirements or conflicting requirements in the coastal zone (SB 1263, AB 2616).