California Assembly Bill 72 (AB 72) is a 2017 California statute which grants the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) enforcement authority with respect to four statutes: the HAA, State Density Bonus Law, fair housing law (Section 65008 of the Government Code) and the "no net loss" requirements for replacing housing element sites that are not developed as projected (Section 65863 of the Government Code). The law requires the department to notify both a local government and the Attorney General of the local government's specified violation of the aforementioned laws as well as need for enforcement, and for the attorney general to sue the offending government. [1] [2] [3]
The law expanded the powers of the HCD in the construction of affordable housing. The bill was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 29, 2017.
AB 215 was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28, 2021, extending HCD's list of laws to notify the attorney general of violations to the Housing Crisis Act (SB 330, 2019), the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) policies (AB 686), SB 35 Streamlining, Permanent Supportive Housing streamlining (AB 2162) and Low Barrier Navigation Center streamlining (AB 101). In addition, the law allows the HCD the ability to hire or appoint other counsel if the attorney general does not pursue action against a local agency regarding a violation. [4] [5]
AB 434 was signed by Newsom on October 11, 2023, expanding the HCD's enforcement powers to enforce the streamlining of HOME Act (SB 9) projects concerning ministerial processing of lot splits in single-family residential zones, along with the streamlining of projects which fall under the ADU law, SB 6 (2022), SB 4 (2023), SB 684 (2023) and AB 1218 (2023). [6]
Other bills were passed to similar effect in the following years, including SB 35 (2017), SB 330 (2019) and AB 2011 (2022).
Nancy Skinner is an American politician who served as a member of the California State Senate from 2016 to 2024. A Democrat, she represented California's 9th State Senatorial district, encompassing parts of the East Bay.
Gun laws in California regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the state of California in the United States.
The California Health and Safety Code is the codification of general statutory law covering the subject areas of health and safety in the state of California. It is one of the 29 California Codes and was originally signed into law by the Governor of California on April 7, 1939.
The California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003 (CalOPPA), effective as of July 1, 2004 and amended in 2013, is the first state law in the United States requiring commercial websites on the World Wide Web and online services to include a privacy policy on their website. According to this California State Law, under the Business and Professions Code, Division 8 Special Business Regulations, Chapter 22 Internet Privacy Requirements, operators of commercial websites that collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from California's residents are required to conspicuously post and comply with a privacy policy that meets specific requirements. A website operator who fails to post their privacy policy within 30 days after being notified about noncompliance will be deemed in violation. PII includes information such as name, street address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, Social Security number, or other details about a person that could allow a consumer to be contacted physically or online.
California is seen as one of the most liberal states in the U.S. in regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights, which have received nationwide recognition since the 1970s. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in the state since 1976. Discrimination protections regarding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression were adopted statewide in 2003. Transgender people are also permitted to change their legal gender on official documents without any medical interventions, and mental health providers are prohibited from engaging in conversion therapy on minors.
Scott Wiener is an American politician who has served in the California State Senate since 2016. A Democrat, he represents the 11th district, encompassing San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is a department within the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency that develops housing policy and building codes, regulates manufactured homes and mobile home parks, and administers housing finance, economic development and community development programs.
Edwin “Ed” Chau is an American jurist and politician who served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the 49th state assembly District from 2012 to 2021. On November 29, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Chau to be a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Travis Ethan Allen is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the California State Assembly. Allen was first elected in November 2012 to represent California's 72nd State Assembly district, which includes the cities of Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Westminster, most of Garden Grove, portions of Huntington Beach and of Santa Ana, and the unincorporated communities of Midway and Rossmoor.
David Sen-Fu Chiu is an American politician currently serving as the City Attorney of San Francisco. Previously, he served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses the eastern half of San Francisco. Chiu was Chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, a position he held from 2016 to 2021, and the former chair of the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
The Housing Accountability Act (HAA) is a California state law designed to promote infill development by speeding housing approvals. The Act was passed in 1982 in recognition that "the lack of housing, including emergency shelter, is a critical statewide problem," and has also been referred to as "the anti-NIMBY law." It empowers the State of California to limit the ability of local government to restrict the development of new housing, and legalizes the Builder's remedy process to ameliorate violations of the law by local governments. The Act was strengthened by subsequent amendments in 2017 and 2024.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was an early opponent of same-sex marriage in the United States, including during his Governorship of California. As an elected official he opposed legal recognition of same-sex marriage but otherwise he supported LGBT rights legislation, including civil unions.
California Senate Bill 35 is a statute streamlining housing construction in California counties and cities that fail to build enough housing to meet state mandated housing construction requirements. The bill was introduced to the California State Assembly by State Senator Scott Wiener (D-SF) on December 15, 2016. SB 35 aims to address the California housing shortage by increasing housing supply. The bill was signed into law on September 29, 2017 by Governor Jerry Brown as part of California’s 2017 Housing Package – a set of 15 bills that provide “an injection of new regulatory and financial resources” for cities.
2021 California Senate Bill 9 , titled the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act, is a 2021 California state law which creates a legal process by which owners of certain single-family homes in single-family zoned areas may build or split homes on their property, and prohibits all cities and counties from directly interfering with those who wish to build such homes.
California Assembly Bill 2097 is a 2022 California statute which prohibits California cities and other public agencies from mandating parking for most development projects within 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of a major transit stop. The law also establishes a "substantial hardship exception" which allows a public agency to impose a parking mandate within 0.5 miles of a major transit stop if the agency submits an application with evidence of a negative impact upon either the agency's ability to meet its RHNA obligations for low and very low income residents, disabled and elderly residents, or existing residential or commercial parking within 0.5 miles of a housing development project.
The California Density Bonus Law is a 1979 California statute which grants developers of housing a density bonus, or the ability to exceed city-mandated density limits for their projects, if certain affordable housing prerequisites are met. The law has been repeatedly amended since its enactment, largely in order to ameliorate the state's housing shortage.
The Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 is a California statute which allows for a CEQA-exempt, ministerial, by-right approval for affordable housing on commercially zoned lands, and also allows such approvals for mixed-income housing along commercial corridors, provided that such housing projects satisfy specific criteria of affordability, labor, and environment and pay prevailing wage. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28, 2022, and came into force on July 1, 2023.
California Senate Bill 684 is a 2023 California statute which requires cities to ministerially allow property owners to subdivide multifamily lots to create subdivisions with up to 10 houses, townhouses or condos in multi-family-zoned areas. The law amended the 1974 Subdivision Map Act to streamline approvals for more housing on a single parcel of land. The law requires that eligible housing projects must protect existing housing that:
California Senate Bill 1534 is a 1982 California statute law which established statewide options for local governments to promote and regulate secondary suites, also known as "accessory dwelling units" (ADUs) in California. Under the law, local governments were allowed the following options:
The Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act is a 2023 California statute which makes it legal for faith-based institutions and non-profit colleges to build affordable, multi-family homes on lands they own by streamlining the permitting process and overriding local zoning restrictions.