***CITY LETTERHEAD***
April 12, 2023
The Honorable Anna Caballero
Chair, Senate Committee on Governance and Finance
State Capitol, Room 407
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 423 (Wiener) Streamlined housing approvals: multifamily housing developments: SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) Expansion.
Notice of Opposition
Dear Senator Caballero:
The City of Cotati writes to express our opposition to, SB 423 (Wiener), which would greatly expand SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) provisions and eliminate the Jan. 1, 2026 sunset date.
On any given day, newspaper headlines in California and across the nation are highlighting the state’s growing housing supply and affordability crisis. Seven in ten Californians view housing affordability as one of the top problems in their community, and there is growing concern from residents that housing prices are so expensive, younger generations will be priced out of ever being able to buy a home.
The City of Cotati intimately understands this crisis as it plays out in our community every day.
Local leaders are working to find creative solutions so homes of all income levels can be built.
They’re taking on these difficult and complex tasks, and in many cases successfully planning 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. This measure would double-down on the recent trend of the state overriding its own mandated local housing plans by forcing cities to approve certain housing projects without regard to the needs of the community, opportunities for environmental review, or public input. While it may be frustrating for some developers to address neighborhood concerns about traffic, parking, and other development impacts, those directly affected by such projects have a right to be heard. Public engagement also often leads to better projects. Not having such outlets will increase public distrust in government and result in additional ballot measures limiting housing development.
Instead of continuing to pursue top-down, one-size-fits-all legislation, lawmakers should partner with local officials. That’s why the League of California Cities 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. What is really needed is a sustainable state investment that matches the scale of this long-term crisis.
For these reasons, the City of Cotati respectfully opposes SB 423, Sincerely,
Susan Harvey
Mayor
Cc: Bill Dodd, State Senator, 3rd District (email address) Damon Connolly, State Assembly Member, 12th District (email address)
Nancy Hall Bennett, Public Affairs Manager, Cal Cities, [email protected] League of California Cities (Via email): [email protected])