Progress on Governor’s Affordable Housing Reforms
The real work now begins in the Bay Area Council’s campaign to pass landmark reforms speeding approval of new affordable housing statewide that Gov. Jerry Brown proposed as part of his budget. The Council has been working furiously in recent weeks to put pressure on legislators to pass the Governor’s reforms, which would allow cities to give simple administrative or “by right” approval of housing developments that are consistent with existing local planning, building and zoning regulations and that set aside either 20 percent of new homes for lower-income residents or 10 percent when the development is located close to transit. With good progress by the Legislature but no resolution before the Tuesday (June 15) budget deadline, negotiations on final bill language were extended until August 30. The Council is working closely with the Governor’s office and legislative leaders to ensure the final legislation retains its potency.
Meanwhile, the Council is continuing to grow its list of supporters. On Monday (June 14), the Council announced that Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner had added their names to a growing and diverse list of more than 80 top business leaders statewide who support the Governor’s reforms. Other leading CEOs include Dignity Health CEO Lloyd Dean, PayPal Founder Max Levchin, Virgin America CEO David Cush, PG&E CEO Tony Earley, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Dodgers Owner Peter Guber, TMG Partners CEO Michael Covarrubias, Lyft CEO Logan Green and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. To add your name to our list of supporters, please contact Policy Associate Rachele Trigueros.
