SACRAMENTO, CA, April 17, 2017 – The California Housing Consortium (CHC) joined Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Asm. David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to build legislative momentum for a package of bills to alleviate the housing crisis that is driving Californians into poverty and sending jobs out of state. A recent California Department of Housing and Community Development report points out that insufficient state investment in affordable homes impedes California’s economic growth.

“With their recent investment in our roads and highways, California’s leaders have shown it’s possible to come together to solve intractable problems and make bold commitments to our economy and our future. Now our state must show the same resolve when it comes to helping the people who are living on our streets and the many more who are at risk of joining them if we do not swiftly increase production of affordable places to live,” said Ray Pearl, Executive Director of the California Housing Consortium.  “CHC is proud to champion legislation that will break down barriers to building and jumpstart construction of affordable homes for Californians with new state investment.”

Today, CHC also launched a new website, BringCAHome.org, to educate Californians on the roots of the crushing affordability problem that leaves 1 in 3 families struggling to afford their rent, and the state policies that have made this crisis worse.  BringCAHome.org also empowers Californians to make their voices heard on the solutions needed to fix these broken and backwards state housing policies.  These bills include:

  • AB 71 (Chiu) – Sponsored by CHC, this bill fixes a backwards state policy that gives tax credits to owners of second homes and vacation properties while millions of Californians lack a single roof over their heads.
  • AB 72 (Santiago) – Also sponsored by CHC, this bill strengthens the Attorney General’s ability to enforce existing state laws that require local governments to achieve housing goals.
  • AB 1505 (Bloom, Chiu, and Gloria) –  Restores the ability of local governments to set priorities for development which include homes affordable to workers and others with limited incomes. This bill is co-sponsored by CHC.
  • SB 2 (Atkins) – Provides seed money to get new, affordable developments under construction by placing a fee on certain real estate transaction documents (NOT related to home or business property sales).
  • SB 3 (Beall) – A new bond measure to invest in affordable homes for Californians struggling to pay the rent.

Today’s action comes as Congress prepares to consider the Trump Administration’s federal budget proposals which would wipe out billions in federal housing investment, on top of a 69 percent overall drop in state and federal funding for affordable home production and preservation since 2008.

CHC is a non-partisan advocate for the production and preservation of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income Californians. We represent the development, building, financial, and public sectors united in their goal that every Californian has a safe, affordable place to call home.