News: CEQA

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California lawmakers returned from their summer recess this week and are now in the home stretch of the 2017-2018 legislative session. Before they adjourn Aug. 31, however, the California Apartment Association is urging them to approve a number of bills that would help alleviate the state’s ongoing housing shortage.

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To help address California’s ongoing housing shortage,  lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have turned their attention to the California Environmental Quality Act. While the landmark land-use law is intended to protect the environment, CEQA often hinders the development of housing. CEQA also has become a favorite tool of no-growth advocates, who  frequently file lawsuits under CEQA simply to delay or stop housing projects. A pair of bills by Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, would help protect housing projects from such  frivolous legal challenges.

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After signing the state budget, Gov. Jerry Brown continues to seek legislation that would streamline the approval process for residential housing in California. On Monday, Brown signed a $122 billion state budget for 2016-17, including $400 million for affordable housing programs sought by Assembly Democrats. The governor, however, has set aside that $400 million until he and the Legislature work out a deal to more quickly approve local housing projects. The details must be worked out before the legislative session ends in August. The governor’s proposal, supported by the California Apartment Association, would exempt certain multifamily housing infill projects from… Read More

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The state Senate last week approved a bill aimed at issuing a $3 billion bond for affordable housing, joining a number of housing-production proposals still in play this year. SB 879 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, is now in the Assembly. If the bond measure passes both houses of the Legislature, it will appear before voters in the Nov. 8 statewide general election. Beall’s office said his bill would generate thousands of homes and apartments priced within reach of California’s families. It also would house thousands of homeless individuals, his office said in this news release. “Senate Bill 879… Read More

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During a radio show Monday morning, CAA’s chief executive made the case for legislation that would streamline the approval process for multifamily developments that meet affordable-housing standards and other state criteria. The discussion took place June 6 on  UpFront, a program hosted by Brian Edwards-Tiekert on Berkeley’s 94.1 KPFA. Tom Bannon, CEO for the California Apartment Association, spoke in support of Gov. Jerry Brown’s push to speed up the approval process for qualified multifamily housing. Under the governor’s plan, multifamily housing projects with infill housing and a certain number of affordable units would be exempt from a drawn-out approval process… Read More

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By MIKE NEMETH While Proposition 30 will slow the furious pace of budget cuts, California lawmakers won’t throw away the chopping block, a lawmaker projected earlier this month. Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, said the state will continue to rein in spending, albeit with less urgency. California voters approved Prop. 30 in November, raising the state’s sales tax by a quarter cent on the dollar. It also boosted income taxes for those earning more than a quarter-million dollars per year. “If it weren’t for the proposition passing, we’d be having a very different conversation this morning about the state of our… Read More

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