A Word With Corey October – State Legislative Wins, November Election, Housing Heroes

This October is an exciting time for the Housing Action Coalition. There are three important things we’re working on that I want to make sure you’re following. 

1. The state legislative session has officially come to a close and three HAC sponsored bills were signed into law: Senate Bill 937 (Wiener), Senate Bill 1210 (Skinner) and Assembly Bill 2243 (Wicks).

• Senate Bill 937 (Wiener): Senate Bill 937 will minimize the impact of market fluctuations and high interest rates on housing production by delaying local government development fees until the Certificate of Occupancy.
• Senate Bill 1210 (Skinner) – Senate Bill 1210 will prioritize new housing production by requiring utility companies to provide greater transparency for connection fees.
• Assembly Bill 2243 (Wicks) – Assembly Bill 2243 amends the language of the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 (AB 2011, Wicks). These amendments facilitate implementation of AB 2011 by expanding its geographic applicability and clarifying aspects of the law that are subject to interpretation.

As HAC is in the midst of a Strategic Planning Update, we’re looking at our role as policy experts (really it’s you, the members) and how we can produce better outcomes in terms of housing production at all income levels. While we know there is no panacea to our affordability and displacement crisis, we’re proud of the steps we’ve been able to take the last five years in Sacramento and know there is more to do. 

In addition to our sponsored bills, there were a number of HAC supported bills that were also signed into law. 

• Assembly Bill 2488 (Ting): Assembly Bill 2488 allows the City and County of San Francisco to establish one downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing district.
• Assembly Bill 2729 (Patterson): Assembly Bill 2729 will extend residential development entitlements by 18 months.

The Governor also signed bills related to the Builder’s Remedy (AB 1893) and the Coastal Commission (Senate Bill 951 and Senate Bill 1077). There were also some losses, with the state declining to fund affordable housing at any notable level. Coupled with the BAHFA Bond getting pulled from the ballot, we desperately need new financing sources to build affordable housing. 

1. It’s election season! HAC’s C4 has made a series of endorsements for ballot measures and candidates around the state. We’re particularly hopeful about a group of new legislators from Southern California that will hopefully join the pro-housing coalition in Sacramento. We’re remaining focused and strategic in our efforts related to the November election (we realistically can’t help every campaign to the level we want), so we’re focusing on high-impact races that could lead to improved local processes and a growing housing consensus in SoCal. From SF to LA, we’re hoping for big wins this November.
2. It’s Housing Heroes Month! On October 16, we’re gearing up to celebrate our 22nd Annual Housing Heroes Awards. We’re excited to continue to grow our movement and organization and this year’s honorees are the people and organizations who have helped make it happen. We don’t win this fight in any given year or with any single idea. However, being able to recognize the people who help deliver wins along the way is something we often forget to do. While there is more work to be done, we want to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished.

   This year we are proud to honor:London Breed | San Francisco Mayor
   Jay Bradshaw | Nor Cal Carpenters Union Executive Officer
   The Terner Center for Housing Innovation and the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
   Tom Mayhew | Business Litigation Trial Lawyer at Farela Braun + Martel