League of California Cities® Executive Director Carolyn Coleman issued the following statement with a vote on the housing package expected later this week.
“The League of California Cities is proud to support many of the proposals included in the final package of housing bills that will come before the Legislature this week. We are sponsors of Senator Richard Roth’s Senate Bill 540 to streamline the housing approval process, and we also strongly support Senate Bill 2 (Atkins) and Senate Bill 3 (Beall) to increase funding for affordable housing.
“At the same time, the League is urging amendments to one of the housing reform proposals — Senate Bill 35 (Wiener) — in order to provide a safe harbor for cities that are doing the right thing and meeting state housing laws. SB 35 would significantly erode local decision-making and the ability of residents to have a say in local development decisions. This bill, at minimum, should be amended so that cities complying with all of the state’s numerous housing laws are not penalized.
“Local governments recognize the important role we play in planning for and approving new housing. We look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor to finalize a package of legislation that takes important steps to ease the housing supply and affordability crisis.”
Established in 1898, the League of California Cities is a nonprofit statewide association that advocates for cities with the state and federal governments and provides education and training services to elected and appointed city officials.
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