SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo participated in the bill signing with Governor Gavin Newsom of two landmark housing bills, AB 2011 (Wicks) and SB 6 (Caballero).
SB 6 addresses the housing shortage by authorizing housing as an allowable use on parcels zoned for parking, office or retail commercial use, while prioritizing the safety of these areas by preventing the sites from being adjacent to industrial zones. AB 2011 works to greatly expand housing access by creating a ministerial, streamlined approval process for 100% affordable housing projects in commercial zones and for mixed-income housing projects along commercial corridors.
As a Member of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development and the Chair of the Assembly Budget Sub-Committee #4 on State Administration which oversees funding for housing and homelessness initiatives, Assemblymember Carrillo helped spearhead an unprecedented $12B investment in programs to address encampments, housing and homelessness in the last couple of years via the budget process, and played an early, pivotal role in the conversations between labor and housing advocates as legislation moved forward.
“In communities like mine, massive gentrification, increased rents and unattainable home prices contribute to a race to the bottom. Our growth for housing needs to account for everyone, and the effects of policies should be equitable across communities,” said Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo. “Los Angeles County is the largest county in the state and the one with the most need. Based on the latest numbers of unhoused residents in LA County alone, more than 69,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, of those about 29,000 are Latino, a 26% rise since 2020. One of the primary causes of our housing crisis is the disparity between the supply and need. California simply does not have the adequate infrastructure to accommodate our residents in a sustainable way. All that changes today. AB 2011 and SB 6 exemplify the extraordinary vision that can be achieved when labor organizations, affordable housing partners, and environmental justice activists come together to achieve a common goal.”
Each bill also includes robust worker protections, with SB 6 enabling developers to notify labor unions of an upcoming project, with developers thereby attempting to fulfill their labor needs with a skilled and trained workforce. AB 2011 imposes specified labor standards on mixed-income housing projects, including requirements that contractors pay prevailing wages, participate in apprenticeship programs, and make adequate healthcare expenditures.
“California has made historic investments and taken unprecedented actions to tackle the state’s housing crisis over the past four years,” said Governor Newsom. “But we recognize there’s more work to do – this package of smart, much-needed legislation will help us build new homes while rebuilding the middle class. I’m thankful for the leadership of the Legislature for stepping up to meet this moment to help address the affordability crisis that stretches across the entire nation.”
The full text of the bills can be found below:
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo was elected as the representative of the 51st Assembly District in December of 2017. She is currently the Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, and a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Health, Housing and Community Development, and Utilities and Energy.
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