California is facing a severe housing crisis, and Californians need real housing solutions.
The state will need an estimated 1.8 million new homes by 2025 in order to meet demand, yet on average, only 80,000 new homes are built per year, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development. As communities throughout California work to accommodate projected growth, there is a unique opportunity to pursue legislation and policies that support the needs of local governments and Californians.
In an effort to create housing opportunities and solutions for California, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), and Senators Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), along with Senators Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), Richard Roth (D-Riverside), and Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), have introduced the “Building Opportunities for All” Senate Housing Package.
The package of bills empowers homeowners who want to help solve the crisis, provides more land-use tools and flexibility to meet the needs of local governments and community partners, and streamlines procedural hurdles. California was in the throes of a housing crisis long before COVID-19 hit, but the pandemic has now intensified the need for housing affordability, access, and opportunity.
Individually, these bills each address a variety of causes that have contributed to the lack of housing production in our state. Together, they make up a unified approach to this challenge, creating pathways to home ownership, stable housing for vulnerable families, and a way forward to economic stability for Californians across the Golden State.
August 29, 2017
The Sacramento Bee - Legislative leaders and Gov. Jerry Brown have reached a deal on a trio housing bills expected to spur new construction across the state and begin digging California out of an unprecedented housing shortage that has led to soaring rents, mass evictions and a homeownership rate at its lowest ...
August 28, 2017
The Los Angeles Times - Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders agreed late Monday to a $4-billion bond aimed at the 2018 ballot that would fund low-income housing developments and subsidize home loans for California veterans. "The bond agreement we have reached provides badly needed funding to help Californians ...
August 28, 2017
The Mercury News - Half the state’s households struggle to afford the roof over their heads. Homeownership-once a staple of the California dream – is at its lowest rate since World War II. Nearly 70 percent of poor Californians see the majority of their paychecks go immediately to escalating rents. This month, state lawmakers are debating a long-delayed housing package. Here’s what you need to know about the scope of one of California’s most ...
August 29, 2017
The Los Angeles Times - Southern California home prices surged in July, as the already white-hot housing market saw heavy demand amid a persistent housing shortage. The six-county area’s median price climbed 7.7% from a year earlier to $501,000, according to a report released Tuesday from CoreLogic. That was the greatest jump in nearly 2½ years and put the ...
August 28, 2017
The Los Angeles Times - California Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative Democrats have reached a housing deal at the state Capitol that includes a $4 billion bond, a new fee on real estate transaction documents, and several efforts to streamline new development projects ...