Related Research Articles
Inclusionary zoning (IZ) is municipal and county planning ordinances that require or provide incentives when a given percentage of units in a new housing development be affordable by people with low to moderate incomes. Such housing is known as inclusionary housing. The term inclusionary zoning indicates that these ordinances seek to counter exclusionary zoning practices, which exclude low-cost housing from a municipality through the zoning code. Non-profit affordable housing developers build 100% of their units as affordable, but need significant taxpayer subsidies for this model to work. Inclusionary zoning allows municipalities to have new affordable housing constructed without taxpayer subsidies. In order to encourage for-profit developers to build projects that include affordable units, cities often allow developers to build more total units than their zoning laws currently allow so that there will be enough profit generating market-rate units to offset the losses from the below market-rate units and still allow the project to be financially feasible. Inclusionary zoning can be mandatory or voluntary, though the great majority of units have been built as a result of mandatory programmes. There are variations among the set-aside requirements, affordability levels, and length of time the unit is deed-restricted as affordable housing.
A secondary suite is a self-contained apartment, cottage, or small residential unit that is located on a property that has a separate main, single-family home, duplex, or other residential unit. In some cases, the ADU or in-law is attached to the principal dwelling or is an entirely separate unit, located above a garage, across a carport, or in the backyard on the same property. Reasons for wanting to add a secondary suite to a property may be to receive additional income, provide social and personal support to a family member, or obtain greater security.
The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008, also known as Senate Bill 375 or SB 375, is a State of California law targeting greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 sets goals for the reduction of statewide greenhouse gas emissions. Passenger vehicles are the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions statewide, accounting for 30% of total emissions. SB 375 therefore provides key support to achieve the goals of AB 32.
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. He is also the co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
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.
The Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act ("Costa–Hawkins") is a California state law enacted in 1995, placing limits on municipal rent control ordinances. Costa–Hawkins preempts the field in two major ways. First, it prohibits cities from establishing rent control over certain kinds of residential units, such as single-family dwellings, condominiums, and newly constructed apartment units. Second, it prohibits "vacancy control", also called "strict" rent control. The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senator Jim Costa and Republican assembly member Phil Hawkins.
David Sen-Fu Chiu is an American politician serving since 2021 as City Attorney of San Francisco. Previously, he served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the state's 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.
Since about 1970, California has been experiencing an extended and increasing housing shortage, such that by 2018, California ranked 49th among the states of the U.S. in terms of housing units per resident. This shortage has been estimated to be 3-4 million housing units as of 2017. As of 2018, experts said that California needs to double its current rate of housing production to keep up with expected population growth and prevent prices from further increasing, and needs to quadruple the current rate of housing production over the next seven years in order for prices and rents to decline.
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 50 was a proposed California bill that would have preempted local government control of land zoning near public transit stations and jobs centers. The bill would have also required, at minimum, four-plex residential zoning statewide. The bill was the successor to a similar bill introduced by state senator Scott Wiener in January 2018 as Senate Bill 827 ; both would have applied to areas within one-half-mile (0.8 km) of frequent transit corridors, including rail stations and bus routes. The bills were sponsored by California YIMBY, a pro-housing lobbying group while they were opposed by local governments, anti-gentrification activists, and suburban homeowners. The bills were written in response to an ongoing housing affordability crisis in California's largest urban areas.
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, and exempts construction under the law from California Environmental Quality Act review. 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.
Silicon Valley, a region located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, is one of the most expensive regions to live in the United States, and many residents lack access to affordable housing. In 2018, the median home price across the area was $1.18 million, the highest of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. The growth of the technology industry in the area, including major companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple, is frequently cited as a major cause of the issue. There have been local efforts to address affordable housing, as well as state measures in response to housing issues across California.
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 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 also amended the Planning and Zoning Law as well as the Starter Home Revitalization Act. The law requires that eligible housing projects must protect existing housing that:
California Assembly Bill 72 is a 2017 California statute which amends the Planning and Zoning Law to grant 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 and the "no net loss" requirements for replacing housing element sites that are not developed as projected. 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 in state court.
The California Social Housing Act is a proposed California bill to establish an independent statewide housing authority, known as the California Housing Authority, to acquire land for, develop, own and maintain public housing. The bill is authored by Alex Lee and was first introduced to the 2021–2022 session of the California State Legislature. In the 2023–24 session, the bill was passed by the legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom on budgetary grounds. Lee re-introduced the bill in the 2025–26 session.
References
- ↑ "California Code, GOV 65915". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ California Senate Final History, Regular Session, 1979 - 80 Session (PDF). California State Assembly, Office of the Chief Clerk. 1979. p. 753.
- ↑ CP&DR. "Density Legislation Riles Local Planners". www.cp-dr.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ CP&DR. "Governor Signs Housing Bills, Rail Bond". www.cp-dr.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ CP&DR. "Governor Takes Action on Important Housing Bills". www.cp-dr.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "AB 2222 Restricts Use of State Density Bonus Law | Legal Alerts | Allen Matkins". Allen Matkins - AB 2222 Restricts Use of State Density Bonus Law | Legal Alerts | Allen Matkins. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "California Governor Signs Four Bills Affecting Density Bonus Projects". JD Supra. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "Housing Density Bonus and Reporting Changes for Local Agencies". bbklaw.com. 2024-10-31. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "Newsom Signs Gonzalez Incentives Bill For Affordable Housing Developers". KPBS Public Media. 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "Governor Signs Density Bonus Law Clean Up Legislation". Allen Matkins - Governor Signs Density Bonus Law Clean Up Legislation | Legal Alerts. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "California's 2023 Housing Laws: What You Need to Know | Insights | Holland & Knight". www.hklaw.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "2022 - AB 2334 (Wicks, Buffy), Density Bonus Law: Affordability: Incentives or Concessions in Very Low Vehicle Travel Areas: Parking Standards: Definitions (Chaptered) | California Air Resources Board". ww2.arb.ca.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ↑ "AB 1287 – Legislature Creates an (Additional) Density Bonus for Very Low- and Middle-Income Households". www.coxcastle.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "New law expands availability of assisted living options in California". McKnight's Senior Living. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ↑ "AB 2430- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-15.