SB50 Proposal To Boost Home Building Amid Housing Crisis Stalls In Legislature
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – A bill that aims to address California's ongoing housing crisis by encouraging housing development near transit stops and job centers has been shelved for the year.
Senate Bill 50 by State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) was declared a "two-year bill" in a meeting at the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, meaning that it would not come up for a vote until January 2020 at the earliest.
"While I'm deeply disappointed that the Chair of the Appropriations Committee has decided to postpone SB 50 until 2020 - since we have a housing crisis right now - we are one hundred percent committed to moving the legislation forward," Wiener said in a statement.
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"We need to do things differently when it comes to housing. We're either serious about solving this crisis, or we aren't. At some point, we will need to make the hard political choices necessary for California to have a bright housing future," the bill's author went on to say.
The bill would encourage housing development near transit stops by eliminating low-density zoning and by reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new developments. SB50 would also encourage increased housing density in so-called "jobs-rich" areas of the state.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom also expressed disappointment at the decision, saying that the state "must address the housing supply shortage head on."
San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo had backed SB50, along with a coalition of environmental, labor, housing and business groups.
Following the decision, both Breed and Schaaf both tweeted their disapproval at the committee's decision.
SB50 opponents included communities fearing a loss of local control of zoning and some tenants rights groups who feared displacement.
