Legislative Lowdown: Your Monthly Digest on State Housing Policy
Well that’s a wrap! The first year of the 2023-2024 Legislative Session is officially over- and what a banner year it has been! Of the 11 bills we supported, 9 received the Governor’s signature and were signed into law. We sent letters of support for 3 additional bills (not listed on our website) that were also signed into law.
The two bills listed on our website that didn’t make the cut this year will be revisited again in the new year. SB 450, an SB 9 clean up bill and endorsed by Generation Housing, was pulled at the last minute by Senator Atkins before it would have likely moved forward to the Assembly Floor for a formal vote. This bill will likewise be picked up in the new year.
You can learn more about our endorsed legislation here.
If you have thoughts on bill proposals that can transform the Bay Area, feel free to reach out and share those ideas with our Policy Director Calum Weeks at calum@generationhousing.org. We are always interested in learning about how people in the community think we can build more, more diverse, and more affordable housing.
On the Horizon: What’s Coming Up on the Sonoma County Policy Front?
The City of Sonoma launched their General Plan Update Process this month. Interested community members can attend one of the upcoming Community Visioning Workshops on November 2 and/or 13 at 6:00pm at the Vintage House.
The City of Santa Rosa will share their Draft Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy at the Climate Action Subcommittee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, November 1 at 4:00pm.
The County Board of Supervisors has a presentation scheduled for Tuesday, November 11th (at ~8:30am) meeting that will offer an update on the ongoing process to annex the Moorland region into the City of Santa Rosa. To learn more about this process, we recommend this Press Democrat article as a primer. At this same meeting, the BOS will hold a carbon sequestration study continuing its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality.
The City of Petaluma will continue its discussion of the Downtown Housing & Economic Overlay at a joint meeting of the Petaluma Planning Commission and the Historic and Cultural Preservation Committee on Tuesday, November 14 at 6:00pm.
The County Board of Supervisors will review the First Reading of the Transient Occupancy Tax (“TOT”) Ordinance on Tuesday, November 28 (at ~8:30am). At this same meeting, the BOS will review the Fall General Fund Fiscal Forecast – this includes review of funds and will be an opportunity to revisit TOT, Teeter, and reinvestment/redevelopment policies.
The City of Santa Rosa will share a Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan to the City Council on Tuesday, November 28 at 4:00pm.