In an effort to create more affordable homes, Gov. Newsom signs package of housing bills

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a package of bills designed to alleviate the state’s housing affordability crisis.

The new laws aim to boost the availability of housing in a variety of ways, including streamlining the approval process for certain projects and requiring that local municipalities create plans to house the most vulnerable Californians.

“The original sin in this state is affordability,” Newsom said at news conference. “That is the challenge we are trying to address.”

The bill signings Thursday follow a number of actions lawmakers have taken in recent years to make housing more affordable.

There have been big-ticket items like eliminating most single-family only zones to allow duplexes, as well as more under-the-radar efforts that have boosted construction of so-called accessory dwelling units and chipped away at the ability local governments have to block housing developments.

One of those lesser known laws is Assembly Bill 2011, a law from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) that streamlined the approval process for housing projects on certain types of commercial land if developers reserve some units for lower-income residents.

On Wednesday, developer Thrive Living and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the groundbreaking of what was billed as the first AB 2011 project to move forward in the city. The Baldwin Village development will consist of 800 apartments on top of a ground-floor Costco store. Just over 180 of those units will be for low-income households.

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In his news conference Thursday, Newsom said the total housing package includes 32 bills and he signed seven at the event that tweak a number of existing rules to try to spur more housing.

One measure from Wicks, AB 2243, amends the law that Thrive Living used in Los Angeles. Under the new rules, developers will be able to receive the streamlined approval in more areas than they do now, including regional malls and land closer to freeways.

Another bill, AB 3093 from Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), requires that local municipalities plan for housing that will be available to households making up to 15% and up to 30% of the area‘s median income.

Currently, the lowest income bracket that communities must plan for is less than 50% of area median income, meaning in theory that cities could fulfill those goals by building housing just for people making 49% of local income.

Officials say that by adding the new, lower-income categories it will help create more housing for people who are homeless or at greatest risk of losing their homes.

Local municipalities will also face stricter penalties if they reject housing projects in ways that state law does not allow them to do.

Under Senate Bill 1037, from state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), communities will face civil penalties up to $50,000 a month for as long as a violation persists. The money will be deposited into a state fund and used to develop income-restricted housing in that community.