Sacramento Update: Expect Close to 2,000 Bills to be Introduced Within the Next Month
On December 6th, the California Legislature returned from its interim recess to begin the 2020 session. Members have begun introducing bills and will continue to do so up until the bill introduction deadline on February 21st. Members have also begun to make decisions on bills that were introduced in 2019 because of a deadline requiring all bills introduced last year be passed out of the House in which they originated.
Several bills pertaining to housing are subject to this deadline, most notably is Senate Bill 50 authored by San Francisco Senator, Scott Wiener. This bill would permit larger and denser housing near transit hubs and stalled last year due to significant opposition by local governments. It was amended on the 6th to allow local governments the first attempt at rezoning if they wish to do so. On Tuesday, January 7th, Senator Wiener held a press conference to announce the amendments to Senate Bill 50, however, it was interrupted and shut down by protesters. The protestors were led by Moms-4-Housing, which is a housing justice group, and they have voiced concerns that Senate Bill 50 will be used to build luxury housing rather than affordable housing.
Another bill that has carried over from 2019 is Assembly Bill 22 authored by Assembly Member, Autumn Burke. This bill would declare that it is the policy of the state that every child and family have a right to housing which would entail that the state provide public assistance to children and families in danger of homelessness, help with rent evictions, and in some cases, find the emergency and permanent housing. Given the logistical difficulty that such an idea possesses, it is unclear how it will fair throughout the legislative process. The Governor has declined to endorse this idea. Assembly Bill 53 authored by Assembly Member Reginald Jones-Sawyer, is another bill that has carried over from 2019. This bill would have made it unlawful for rental property owners to inquire about or require an applicant for housing to disclose a criminal record during the initial application assessment. Fortunately, this bill was pulled from committee and therefore has been rendered dead for this session.
On Friday, January 10th, the Governor presented his $222.2 Billion budget for the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year. During the press conference, Governor Newsom stated that wile last year’s Budget Act included $1.75 Billion in resources to accelerate housing productions, none of those dollars were actually spent in the 2019 calendar year. In light of this fact, the Governor decided that no additional funding would be provided in this year’s budget proposal. In total, the budget includes $6.8 Billion across multiple departments to address housing throughout the state.
While no additional funding will be provided this year to accelerate housing production, significant funding was added to the budget to address the homeless crisis plaguing the state, which Governor Newsom has made a top priority this year. He noted that homelessness is no longer a problem restricted to urban corridors, but is moving to rural communities as well. To address this the governor has created the new California Access to Housing and Services Fund through an executive order and will fund it with more than $1.0 Billion to fight homelessness.
As we move through January and into February, the legislature will see a number of proposals introduced. We can expect close to 2,000 bills to be introduced between now and February 21st, the bill introduction deadline. Along with legislative bills, the Senate and Assembly Budget committees and their respective subcommittees, will begin to meet to discuss proposals included in the governor’s budget. Without a doubt, housing will continue to be a dominant topic in Sacramento and it is not unlikely that the Governor’s proposed budget will be amended to address the housing crisis.
Capitol Advocacy has been consistently ranked as one of California’s top lobbying firms. The firm specializes in lobbying, strategic planning, coalition building, budget advocacy, procurement, and political involvement. Capitol Advocacy represents the interests of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles in association with its affiliation with the California Rental Housing Association.
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