California Apartment Association

A pair of housing-supply bills supported by the California Apartment Association advanced this week to the governor’s desk.

Now awaiting Gov. Brown’s signature are AB 2584, which would expand enforcement of the Housing Accountability Act, and AB 2208, which would require that,  before construction, rooftops of public buildings be offered to private or nonprofit developers for the construction of affordable housing.

AB 2584 is one of four housing-supply bills sponsored by CAA this year and the first to reach Brown. The bill, authored by Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, would allow groups that represent tenants or housing providers — such as CAA — to bring a legal action when a local government denies housing projects in violation of the HAA. At present, only the applicant of a proposed housing project or potential future tenants may bring legal action if a local government breaks the act.

AB 2208 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago aims to leverage the rooftops of public buildings, often located in or near central business districts, into sites for affordable housing.

“California is home to housing developers of all kinds who are willing to be creative about how they plan their projects,” Santiago writes to Brown in a letter requesting his signature. “AB 2208 capitalizes on that ingenuity by encouraging localities to, in turn, think beyond just “vacant” or “surplus” property for potential future development.”