Members of the North Bay Division:
The Legislative season is underway! Please be aware of the eight Cal Cities sponsored bills and Find out Which of the 2,600 new bills will impact cities? Below you will find a specific request to oppose SB 423 (Weiner) which would greatly expand SB 35 (Weiner), signed into law in 2017 despite strong opposition from Cal Cities. Cal Cities Letter of opposition and a sample letter for your consideration is attached. Further, Please be aware that this bill will be voted in committee next week. If you are represented by Senator Mike McGuire, please consider calling his office in addition to sending a letter ahead of his vote in committee.
Thank you for your partnership,
Nancy
P.S. A huge thank you to the over twenty cities in the North Bay for supporting my request to oppose the Ca Business Roundtable initiative that is on the 2024 November Ballot!
OPPOSE SB 423 (Wiener)
Streamlined housing approvals: multifamily housing developments:
SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) expansion.
Background: In 2017, the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed SB 35. This law makes the approval of multifamily developments, many of which meet inadequate criteria, “ministerial” actions. As a result, the approval of these developments pre-empts local discretionary land use authority, bypasses the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and ignores public input.
What does SB 423 specifically do?
Removes the 2026 sunset and makes SB 35 statutes permanent.
Applies SB 35 provision to cities that have not been found in substantial compliance with housing element law by the department.
Expands SB 35 provisions to developments in the Coastal Zone.
Allows the state to approve housing developments on property they own or lease without being required to follow local zoning and development standards.
Prohibits a city from enforcing its inclusionary housing ordinance if the income limits are higher than those in SB 35.
Talking points:
• City officials intimately understand the housing crisis as it plays out in their communities every day. Local leaders are working to find creative solutions so homes of all income levels can be built.
• Cities are finalizing local housing plans that will identify sites for more than 2.5 million new homes statewide, all while navigating the state’s annual barrage of overreaching housing bills that have thus far demonstrated limited success. • SB 423 is the latest overreaching bill, and would force cities to approve certain housing projects without regard to the needs of the community, opportunities for environmental review, or public input.
• Instead of continuing to pursue top-down, one-size-fits-all legislation, lawmakers should partner with local officials.
• That’s why YOUR CITY NAME is calling on the Governor and lawmakers to include a $3 billion annual investment in the state budget to help cities prevent and reduce homelessness and spur housing development.
• Targeted, ongoing funding is the only way cities can find community-based solutions that get our residents off the streets and keep them in their homes. • California will never produce the number of homes needed with an increasingly state driven, by-right housing approval process.
• Join me and oppose SB 423 (Wiener).
Nancy Hall Bennett (Ms./She/Her)
Public Affairs Manager, North Bay Division
League of California Cities
(415) 302-2032
[email protected] | www.calcities.org
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