State Advocacy Update – SB 1053 & SB 873 move forward

State Legislative Update

April 4, 2016

Transit-oriented Affordable Home Tour with MTC

April 5, 2016

Senator Leno’s Housing Opportunities Act Approved by Judiciary Committee

On Tuesday, March 29, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senator Mark Leno’s SB 1053, the Housing Opportunities Act. This critical equity and anti-displacement legislation would prohibit landlords from refusing applications from renters who wish to use a Housing Choice Voucher, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher or other federal, state or local tenant-based rental subsidy. NPH is a cosponsor of this bill along with the Western Center on Law & Poverty. The National Housing Law Project has provided invaluable legal and technical assistance and the California Association of Housing Authorities (CAHA) has taken a support position on the bill. A diverse array of states including New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon and Oklahoma – have already prohibited such Source of Income (SOI) discrimination in housing. SB 1053 now moves to the Senate Appropriations committee. Find more information here: https://nonprofithousing.org/nph-sponsors-senator-lenos-bill-to-increase-affordable-housing-options-for-low-income-families/

Senator Beall’s Bill to Increase Value of State Housing Credit Moves Forward

On Wednesday, March 30, the Senate Governance and Finance Committee unanimously approved SB 873 (Beall), a bill to increase the value of the State Low Income Housing Tax Credit by allowing credits to be “certificated” by nonprofit affordable developers. The legislation is a reprise of SB 377 (Beall) which was also sponsored by the California Housing Partnership Corporation and supported by NPH last year. The bill had no fiscal impact to the state’s general fund, received unanimous and bipartisan support in the Legislature but, nonetheless, was vetoed by Governor Brown. SB 873 now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.