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Livable California
Sacramento politicians are eyeing your neighborhood!
A flood of housing bills in the state legislature would block or limit local control of housing development. Among the most draconian:
SB5O: Override local planning near major transit stops - or in any "job-rich" housing area based on "proximity to jobs, high area median income and high-quality public schools."
SB4: Streamline approval process for small multi-family housing projects in cities and counties with unmet housing needs. Allow apartment and condo development up to one story taller than existing height limits within a half-mile of transit stations.
SB330: Prohibit moratoriums and other restrictions on housing construction in cities with high rents and low vacancy rates.
AB68: Override city ordinances that require a minimum lot size for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs or "granny units" ) or restrict those units to less than 800 square feet.
AB587: Allow separate sale/transfer of ADUs built by qualified nonprofits, laying groundwork for splitting lots zoned for single family residences.
AB725: Impose new restrictions on housing for high-income jurisdictions. At least 80% of zoning for above moderate-income housing has to be multi-family--an attack on single family zoning.
AB1279: Designate "high opportunity/low-density" housing communities (e.g., single-family) where developers could more easily build affordable apartment and condo complexes.
AB1487: Creates a regional unelected taxing agency to raise $1.SB annually for construction of 35,000 homes a year- requiring an additional $1B/year from state and local measures.
If these bills pass, what will your neighborhood look like?
California Dreaming?
Governor Newsom proposes to build 3.SM new affordable homes in 7 years by increasing state subsidies (tax dollars) and easing regulations, while ignoring ...
Cost: The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury estimates it would take $30 billion to solve the county's housing problems. At an average cost of $500,000 to build one affordable home, the state's bill would be $1.75 TRILLION.
Traffic and parking: A Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said transportation was not considered when planning new housing demands, yet our public transit systems are inadequate for current needs. Some bills would reduce parking requirements, crowding workers' cars into residential streets and school routes.
Schools and critical services: Developers claim excessive impact fees prevent them from building more housing, yet these fees are needed to pay for schools, parks, emergency responders and other essential services. Some legislators want to limit the fees, letting developers off the hook for the impacts they impose on communities, thus putting the burden on taxpayers.
Insatiable demand for offices: Approval of huge office projects goes on unabated, worsening the jobs/housing imbalance and driving up the price of land where housing could be built. Big corporations - with billions in cash - are not providing homes for their thousands of employees,let alone workers who provide services to them. As the root cause of the housing crisis, they should pay their fair share to resolve it.
WE DID NOT CREATE THE HOUSING CRISIS!
We voted for local representatives to thoughtfully plan a community that reflects our values. A one-size-fits-all mandate violates democratic principles, forcing us to pay for unregulated private development in the service of billion-dollar corporations.
Don't surrender your community and quality of life to politicians and developers.
Contact your state representatives to protect local values through local control.
The future is in your hands!
415-870-1511