The Housing Crisis Act will dramatically reduce the ability of cities and counties across California to obstruct or deny housing by removing the main tools used by housing opponents – unpredictability, subjectivity and delay. To deny a housing project application, cities and counties will now have to make an objective determination and make it more […]
SB 50, The More HOMES Act introduced by San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener in December 2018 was reintroduced with amendments earlier this week. The reintroduction comes after SB 50 was held by the Appropriations Committee last spring by State Senator Anthony Portantino. SB 50, which we have previously reported on, seeks to address California’s […]
In June 2019, District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar introduced Proposition F, also known as the “sunlight on dark money” ballot initiative. The goal, according to Supervisor Mar, was to restrict “pay-to-play” donations and increase transparency in terms of who is contributing to candidates and their committees. However, what resulted was a ballot initiative—which was ultimately […]
In the last few weeks, two California trial courts interpreted state housing development laws—SB35 and the Housing Accountability Act—in ways that limit their applicability to cities. While trial court opinions are not binding on other courts, these decisions may give development opponents tools to slow the creation of new housing supply. The decisions are summarized […]
While campaigning for Governor, Gavin Newsom pledged to build 3.5 million new units by 2025 to combat California’s housing crisis. One way to meet this ambitious goal is through the construction of accessory dwelling units (“ADUs”). Since 2017, California lawmakers have passed several bills to streamline the ADU approval process. However, exorbitant fees and strict […]
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed legislation increasing the Jobs Housing Linkage Fee (“JHLF”) for office and laboratory projects. While some grandfathering applies to pipeline projects, as of January 2021 new large office projects will be assessed the JHLF at a rate of $69.60 per gross square foot (“gsf”); smaller office developments […]
Following recent controversy over furnished rental properties that skirt the short term rental regulations by requiring tenants to stay for at least 30 days, Supervisor Peskin introduced legislation last week aimed at reigning in such projects. The ordinance would create a new “Intermediate Length Occupancy” under the Planning Code and would provide corresponding amendments to […]
Governor Gavin Newsom announced this month that he has signed 18 bills into law that will boost housing production in California. Many of these bills fall into two categories: first, bills that reduce barriers for developers to build large-scale housing (more than four units), and second, bills that reduce barriers for homeowners to build accessory […]
For over 20 years, Costa Hawkins has set the parameters for rent control in California by limiting a city’s ability to enact rent control regulations that apply to units built after 1995. Many local rent control ordinances provide a much earlier cutoff than what is permitted under State law. For example, San Francisco’s rent control […]
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) was approved unanimously earlier this year. COPA legislation became effective on June 3, 2019, however, the COPA program rules were not published until September 3, 2019 by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD). The COPA program applies to the sale of all San Francisco multi-family […]
