Legislative Priorities
Promoting policies that increase affordable housing opportunities
MidPen Housing’s 2024 Legislative Priorities
MidPen housing works diligently with our partners to support proven affordable housing solutions. For the 2024 California legislative session, MidPen supports the following Bills and Constitutional Amendments.
Constitutional Amendment, 55% Vote for Local Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure
Prop 5 is Constitutional Amendment that makes it easier to pass local affordable housing bonds—a major structural change that can unlock new funding streams across the state. There are countless examples of local revenue measures that received more than 60% of voter support, only to fail to meet the 2/3 threshold currently required constitutionally for local general obligation bonds and special taxes. Prop 5 will significantly strengthen local democratic governance and further equitable housing policy by reducing the voter approval threshold to 55% for affordable housing and infrastructure revenue measures. The proposition will appear on the ballot thanks to enabling legislation: ACA 1 (passed legislatively in 2023) placed the proposition on the November 2024 ballot, and ACA 10 (passed legislatively in 2024) updates the proposition by removing special taxes from the scope.
AB 3160 (Gabriel), $500M in Permanent State Tax Credits
Since 2020, state tax credits have provided the final gap financing to bring more than 25,000 new affordable homes online. However, unlike almost all other tax credits, state credits are subject to yearly appropriation in the budget, making them vulnerable to budget cuts in deficit years. This bill will make $500 million in state tax credits permanent, resulting in an additional 6,400 affordable homes per year and effectively increasing statewide production by a third.
AB 1657 (Wicks), Statewide Housing Bond (no longer active)
This bill provides the necessary authorization for a $10B statewide housing bond to be placed on the November 2024 ballot. AB 1657 is part of a broader effort that MidPen is supporting, “the California Housing Initiative”, to unlock significant regional and state bond revenue at the 2024 and lower the voter threshold for local affordable housing bond measures.
AB 3093 (Ward), ELI and ALI RHNA Categories
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) currently splits incomes into four categories that end at very-low income (50% AMI), which fails to account for people experiencing homelessness, many of whom have incomes that fall below the 50% AMI threshold. AB 3093 establishes Acutely Low Income (0-15% AMI) and Extremely Low Income (15-30% AMI) as new categories. By more accurately defining and identifying need, HCD and local governments can administer resources to those who have historically been left out of the RHND/RHNA process.
Important Links
Bill and Amendment Support Letters
The need to reform and invest in housing infrastructure is more pressing than ever. MidPen has taken a support position on numerous bills, advocating for important legislative changes to shift the affordable housing landscape in the Bay Area, working toward the common goal of safe, affordable housing for all.
- AB 1657 (Wicks) - Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2024
- AB 2141 (Gibson) - Cash Assistance Programs (CalWORKs/GR/GA): Direct Deposit
- AB 2243 (Wicks) - AB 2011 Clarification and Expansion
- AB 2430 (Alvarez) - Eliminating Duplicative Local Monitoring Fees
- AB 2728 (Gabriel) - Build on SB 4 Progress
- AB 3160 (Gabriel) - Make Permanent the Enhanced State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
- SB 1254 (Becker) - Food for Re-entry and Ensuring Stable Homes (FRESH) Act
- SB 1395 (Becker) - Encourage Development of Interim Housing
- AB 1932 (Ward) – Elimination of 2nd Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
- AB 3012 (Grayson) – Impact Fee Transparency
- SB 1118 (Eggman) – Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing Program
- AB 1820 (Schiavo) Predictable impact fee schedules
- AB 2117 (Patterson) Development permit expirations
- AB 2140 (Carrillo) Affordable homeownership financing programs
- AB 2144 (Grayson) APR Housing Data
- AB 2553 (Friedman) Traffic Impact Fees and Definitions
- AB 2560 (Alvarez) Density Bonus in the Coastal Zone
- AB 2813 (Aguiar Curry) Government Investment Act/ implementation bill for ACA 1
- AB 3057 (Wilson) JADU CEQA Exemption
- AB 3122 (Kalra) SB 35 Clean Up
- SB 937 (Wiener) Deferring Impact Fees to CoO
- SB 1077 (Blakespear) ADU Streamlining in Coastal Zone
- SB 1092 (Blakespear) Coastal Commission appeals
- SB 1211 (Skinner) ADU density enhancement