September 19, 2019

CSAC is awaiting the Governor’s action on a number of bills that fall under the housing, land use, and transportation policy area and will keep counties updated on the outcome of these measures. CSAC is requesting the Governor’s signature on several of these measures and is requesting his veto on one bill. The full list is provided below.

Requesting Signature

SB 137 (Dodd) – Streamlining Transportation Projects – CSAC Sponsored

SB 137 would streamline environmental review and expedite county bridge and safety projects by authorizing additional exchanges of federal and state transportation funding through the Match Exchange Program. CSAC worked closely with the Legislature, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the California Department of Finance, and the California State Transportation Agency to negotiate amendments and secure passage of the bill.

AB 252 (Daly and Frazier) – Caltrans: NEPA Responsibilities  

AB 252, signed by the Governor, repeals the sunset date for California’s limited waiver of sovereign immunity, which is necessary to allow Caltrans to continue its assumption of National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities.

AB 1515 (Friedman) – Community Plans Under CEQA Review

AB 1515, which was signed by the Governor, provides clarity to local governments in implementing development projects consistent with an updated community plan when legal actions are taken against a jurisdiction’s plan on the basis of noncompliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  

SB 128 (Beall) — Best Value Construction Contracting for Counties

SB 128 would extend the sunset date for the pilot program allowing Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Solano, and Yuba counties to select the lowest responsible bidder on the basis of best value for construction projects in excess of $1 million. This bill would also authorize the County of Santa Clara and the County of Monterey to utilize the program. CSAC supports offering counties additional tools to ensure that public works projects are built to the highest standard of quality while ensuring cost-effective investment of public funds.

SB 211 (Beall) – Leasing Caltrans Property for Emergency Shelters or Feeding Programs

SB 211 would authorize Caltrans to lease airspace and real property acquired for highway purposes to local and state agencies statewide for $1 per month for purposes of establishing an emergency shelter or feeding program.

SB 329 (Mitchell) – Housing Opportunities Act

SB 329 would amend California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act to protect housing voucher holders from housing discrimination based on their source of income. CSAC supported this measure after the CSAC Executive Committee voted to approve this position.

 SB 450 (Umberg) – CEQA Exemption for Motel Conversion for Supportive or Transitional Housing

This bill would exempt a motel, hotel, residential hotel, or hostel that is converted into a supportive housing or transitional housing project from the CEQA until January 1, 2025. Modifications to these structures would be limited to minor interior or exterior alterations to facilitate their use as supportive or transitional housing.

Requesting Veto

SB 13 (Wieckowski) – Accessory Dwelling Units

CSAC is concerned about the additional restrictions and conditions SB 13 would impose on local governments’ ability to charge development impact fees. SB 13 would also create an amnesty program for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) built before January 1, 2020, which would grant non-code compliant ADU owners the opportunity to request a delayed enforcement for up to five years. CSAC is concerned about making local government responsible for determining which conditions listed in state law are most important for health and safety—a difficult task that potentially affects tenants’ rights.