Policy Advocacy and Endorsement

Overview

Generation Housing convenes, organizes, and builds bridges between various stakeholder groups to align their efforts in support of housing development. Generation Housing is a fierce advocate for policies, programs, land use, and funding that will lead to an increased supply of housing. Generation Housing continues to grow an educated and responsive action network to support pro-housing policies and Gen H-endorsed housing development projects.

More than 25,000 units are currently needed in Sonoma County, which would be 6,500+ per year, but the County is currently only permitting an average of 880 units per year.

A certain number of housing units, at various levels of affordability, are needed to meet Sonoma County’s current and future housing needs – and the gap between current inventory and what is actually needed grew even larger due to the wildfires. It will ‘take a village’ to reach this goal, with all parts of the system needing strong capacity in order to develop an adequate supply.

“Generation Housing promotes housing policies that are consistent with our guiding principles in helping increase the supply, diversity, and affordability of housing in Sonoma County.”

Generation Housing advocates for an increase in the supply, diversity, and affordability of housing in Sonoma County. Our advocacy focuses on identifying common ground for alignment that can deliver results for our community.

For more info, contact Policy Director Calum Weeks, at calum@generationhousing.org.

Endorsed Policies

Year-2

Category-2

Status-2

SB-450
Assembly Floor

Housing development: approvals

AB 2580 (Wicks, Quirk-Silva) requires local governments to monitor how new historic designations could impact their ability to meet housing needs under existing state law, and report new historic buildings and districts to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) during the Annual Progress Report of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB450https://cayimby.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SB-450-Atkins-Factsheet.pdf
AB 1820
Governor's Desk

Housing development projects: applications: fees and exactions

AB 1820 (Schiavo) aims to streamline the housing development process by implementing several key provisions. It allows developers to request a preliminary fee estimate upon submitting an application, which the local agency must provide within 10 business days. Once a housing project application is deemed complete, the public agency must itemize and total all applicable fees and exactions within 10 days.

The bill requires cities, counties, and special districts with websites to post current fee schedules, exactions, affordability requirements, zoning ordinances, development standards, and impact fee studies online. It clarifies that developers are not obligated to respond to fee and exaction requests post-completion without facing penalties.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1820https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yVZy2rfLVXw3yWSqSU86mHyJQDNfyKy6/view?usp=drive_link
AB 2580
Senate Floor

Historical resources

AB 2580 (Wicks, Quirk-Silva) requires local governments to monitor how new historic designations could impact their ability to meet housing needs under existing state law, and report new historic buildings and districts to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) during the Annual Progress Report of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2580https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Cgtpdr3crZbNCKfm1HC-Wfu7tARFG5I/view?usp=drive_link
SB-937
Assembly Floor

Development projects: permits and other entitlements: fees and charges

SB 937 (Wiener) allows home builders to delay payment of local development and impact fees until a certificate of occupancy is issued for their project. The bill will also extend the expiration date for entitlements issues prior to Jan. 1, 2024 and set to expire on or before Dec. 31, 2025 by 18 months.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB937
AB 529
Governor's Desk

Adaptive Reuse

This bill adds “adaptive reuse” projects to types of housing that qualifies communities for state’s “prohousing” designation. It would require the Build Standards Commission (BSC”), in consultation with the Department of Housing and Community Development (“HCD”), to update, clarify, and publish building standards for adaptive reuse projects.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB529https://nonprofithousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Fact-Sheet-SB-4-Affordable-Housing-on-Faith-Lands-Act-2.23.23.pdf