Council Applauds Governor’s Housing Proposals

The Bay Area Council today (May 16)  issued the following statement on proposals made by Gov. Jerry Brown in his May budget revision that would help address California’s housing crisis:

“California’s massive housing shortage requires bold and meaningful action and Gov. Brown has delivered.  The Governor in his revised budget has sent a powerful message to the state that we must remove barriers to creating affordable housing that millions of Californians so desperately need. The state’s housing shortage and the high housing costs that have resulted is the main reason for California’s nation-leading poverty rate, with the bottom 25 percent of income earners spending 67 percent of their income on housing. And the obstacles to creating housing where it’s needed most is undermining California’s ability to meet its ambitious climate change goals. In the Bay Area alone, 170,000 “mega commuters” drive to their jobs from places as far away as Sacramento, Lathrop and Manteca.

“Gov. Brown’s proposal to speed up local approval of affordable housing through “by right zoning” will encourage more housing near transit and job centers and reduce long polluting commutes. And his support of legislation like SB 1069, authored by state Sen. Bob Wieckowski and sponsored by the Bay Area Council, has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of affordable accessory dwelling units. We applaud the Governor and the Legislature for taking important first steps on addressing the housing crisis and encourage them to continue to collaborate on funding for affordable housing, streamlined housing approvals, and maintaining California’s fiscal and environmental health.”