California Apartment Association

A CAA-sponsored bill to speed up the approval process for housing has won approval from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 2180 by Assemblyman Philip Ting, D-San Francisco, passed the committee on a 5-0 vote, with two abstentions.

The bill proposes to expedite the building permit process by shortening the number of days that a local government must take to approve a new housing project.

AB 2180 now goes to the Senate Floor where it will be voted on within the next several weeks.

It is one of four housing production bills sponsored by the California Apartment Association this year.

The others include:

AB 2584 (Daly) would expand the enforcement of the Housing Accountability Act by allowing groups that represent tenants or housing providers — such as CAA — to bring a legal action when a local government fails to comply with the act. The bill is on the Senate Floor awaiting a final vote.

AB 2299 (Bloom) would mandate that local governments allow for the construction of second units on residential lots if those units meet specific standards and would eliminate additional parking standards if the second unit is located within one-half mile of public transportation. The bill is also on the Senate Floor awaiting a vote.

AB 2501 (Bloom) would make it faster, easier and more economical for developers to obtain density bonuses in exchange for including affordable housing in the developments. Like the others, the bill awaits approval by the full Senate.