California Assembly Prioritizes Affordable Housing

SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly tonight passed a package of bills designed to address California’s affordable housing crisis:

SB 2 (Atkins, D-San Diego) will create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing through a modest $75 fee on the filing of certain real estate documents.

SB 3 (Beall, D-San Jose) will place a $3-billion bond measure on the November 2018 ballot to fund statewide housing programs.

SB 35 (Wiener, D-San Francisco) will streamline the approval process for infill housing projects in cities that are not meeting state-mandated housing goals at various affordability levels.

The bills head back to the Senate tomorrow for approval.

Following is a statement from Amanda Eaken, director of Transportation & Climate for the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“Skyrocketing housing costs have pushed too many Californians farther and farther away from jobs, transit and services. The lack of affordable housing is not only an equity issue, but an environmental one, resulting in increased congestion and air pollution.

“This package of bills combines significant new funding for affordable housing with incentives for that housing to be located in urban infill locations, whereby strengthening existing communities, rather than creating new ones. It strikes the right balance between conserving California’s most precious natural resources and acknowledging that we need housing – for all.”

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.