Housing (Community Development)

Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with each council of governments, to determine each region's existing and projected housing need, as provided. Existing law requires each council of governments, or delegate subregion as applicable, to develop and adopt a methodology for distributing the existing and projected regional housing need to cities, counties, and cities and counties within the region or within the subregion, as provided. Existing law also requires each council of governments and delegate subregion, as applicable, to adopt a final allocation of regional housing needs to each local government in the region or subregion, where applicable, and the department, based on that adopted methodology. Existing law requires that the housing element of a county's or city's general plan include, among other things, a quantification of the locality's existing and projected housing needs for all income levels, which must include the locality's share of the regional housing need, as provided. Existing law authorizes a local government within the same county as a federally recognized Native American tribe to enter into a voluntary agreement with a tribe to allow new tribal housing development projects to count toward the locality's share of the regional housing needs allocation if certain conditions are met. This bill would authorize a local government, as defined, to enter into a voluntary agreement with another local government to allow new housing development projects to count toward each locality's share of the regional housing needs allocation if certain conditions are met, including that the project includes affordable housing units for very low and lower income households.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. If a lead agency determines that a project will have a significant transportation impact, existing law authorizes the lead agency to mitigate the transportation impact to a less than significant level by helping to fund or otherwise facilitating housing or related infrastructure projects, including by contributing an amount, to be determined pursuant to guidance issued by the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, to the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Fund for purposes of the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Program. Existing law makes those moneys available to the Department of Housing and Community Development, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of awarding funding for affordable housing or related infrastructure projects under the program in accordance with specified priorities. On or before July 1, 2026, and at least once every 3 years thereafter, existing law requires the office, in consultation with other state agencies, to issue guidance related to the implementation of these provisions, as provided. This bill would authorize a lead agency for a land use project to require an applicant to contribute to the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Fund if certain cost conditions are met and the department and the office have validated the reductions in vehicle miles traveled that are attributable to the project, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law requires land to be declared either surplus land or exempt surplus land, as supported by written findings, before a local agency may take any action to dispose of it consistent with an agency's policies or procedures. Existing law establishes procedures for the disposal of surplus land, including requiring certain information to be provided to the Department of Housing and Community Development. These procedures do not apply to the disposal of exempt surplus land. Existing law establishes various categories of exempt surplus land, including surplus land that is a former street, right-of-way, or easement, and is conveyed to an owner of an adjacent property. This bill would broaden the definition of exempt surplus land to include land that is unsuitable for housing development due to the presence of one or more specified characteristics, including land with slope instability that increases risk of mudslides, landslides, subsidence, liquefaction, and other seismic hazards.

Existing law, the Mobilehome Residency Law, requires the owner of a mobilehome park who lists for sale or offers to sell the mobilehome park to any party to provide written notice of the owner's intention to sell the mobilehome park to a resident organization formed by homeowners for purposes of converting the mobilehome park to condominium or stock cooperative ownership interests and for purchasing the mobilehome park, subject to specified conditions. This bill would repeal those provisions and would instead require management of a mobilehome park to give notice to each resident household in the park, resident organization, as defined, and specified public entities, as provided, if certain events demonstrating management's intent to sell occur, subject to specified exceptions. If that event is the receipt of an offer for the sale or transfer the park that management intends to accept or the conditional acceptance of an offer for the sale or transfer of the park, the bill would require the notice to include a statement from management that it has received an offer for sale, lease, or transfer of the park that it intends to accept, a statement of the homeowners' rights under the bill and the deadlines for exercising those rights, and the price, terms, and conditions of the offer management has conditionally accepted or plans to accept. This bill would authorize a resident organization or its assignee, to, no later than 120 days after notice of an offer that management intends to accept or conditional acceptance of an offer is sent, deliver a good faith, written purchase offer for the park to management, along with a statement that the homeowners of more than 50% of the mobilehomes in the park support the purchase offer. This bill would require management to consider the resident organization's proposed purchase offer and negotiate with the resident organization in good faith to determine whether a mutual agreement can be reached that results in the resident organization purchasing the park, and, if the offer is rejected, provide a good faith reason for the rejection. This bill would, if the resident organization's proposed purchase agreement matches the price and substantially the same terms and conditions as the offer management has conditionally accepted or plans to accept, grant the resident organization the right to purchase the park at the price, terms, and conditions stated in its proposed purchase agreement. The bill would provide specified requirements and restrictions on management and the resident organization with regard to the proposed purchase agreement. This bill would authorize a resident organization that represents 50% or more of the homeowners of the mobilehome park to, at its election and subject to rescission at any time, assign its rights under the bill to the municipality in which the resident organization is located, a housing authority located in the municipality, a state agency, or a qualified entity for the purpose of continuing the use of the property as a park. The bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish a process for certifying specified entities as qualified entities, as provided, and to maintain and update annually a list of qualified entities to be made available to management for the purpose of distributing notices to qualified entities. This bill would authorize a resident organization or public prosecutor, as specified, to bring an action against management that violates the bill for specified civil penalties and other relief. The bill would provide that its provisions shall be interpreted liberally and are severable.

Existing law establishes the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program for the purpose of providing jurisdictions with grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law provides for the allocation of funding under the program among continuums of care, cities, counties, and tribes in 6 rounds, with rounds 1 to 5, inclusive, administered by the Interagency Council on Homelessness and round 6 administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, as provided. Existing law establishes round 7 of the program and states the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that specifies the parameters, as specified. To be eligible for round 5 or round 6 base program allocation, existing law requires a jurisdiction that is not a tribe to apply as part of a region and be signatory to a regionally coordinated homelessness action plan that meets specified requirements. This bill would apply to the allocation of funding available under round 8 of the program and require a round 8 regionally coordinated homelessness action plan to include certain components, including a description of programs and interventions provided by smaller jurisdictions, as defined, that serve the objects and goals of the program, as specified. The bill would authorize a region receiving funding under round 8 to allocate a portion of that funding to smaller jurisdictions to support those programs. The bill would prescribe requirements for a smaller jurisdiction to be eligible to receive funding pursuant to these provisions.

Existing law establishes the Multifamily Housing Program, administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, to provide financial assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for the eligible costs of development of specified types of housing projects. Existing law requires that specified funds appropriated to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases be disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program for specified uses, including acquisition or rehabilitation of motels, hotels, hostels, or other sites, as provided. This disbursement program is referred to as Homekey. Existing law, upon appropriation, requires Homekey awards to be expended within 8 months of the date of the award, as provided. This bill would, for Homekey awards made on or after July 1, 2026, require the department to consider allowing applicants that utilize funds for adaptive reuse projects if the adaptive reuse involves substantial rehabilitation, reconstruction, or demolition of an existing structure, as defined and specified.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) and, pursuant to the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 2025, which became effective on July 5, 2025, transfers the department to the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, effective July 1, 2026, for purposes of carrying out state housing policies and programs. Existing law, commonly referred to as the Surplus Land Act, prescribes requirements for the disposal of surplus land by a local agency, as defined, and requires, except as provided, a local agency disposing of surplus land to comply with certain notice requirements before disposing of the land or participating in negotiations to dispose of the land with a prospective transferee. As part of these procedures, existing law requires that the local agency send a notice of availability to housing sponsors, as defined, that have notified the department of their interest in surplus land, as specified. This bill would require the department to establish a dedicated social housing coordinator to lead social housing strategy and implementation. In leading social housing strategy and implementation, the bill would require the dedicated social housing coordinator to, among other things, inventory and prioritize surplus public land suitable for social housing development. The bill would define "social housing development" as housing developed pursuant to the bill's provisions that is owned by a public entity, provides housing affordable to a mix of household income levels, and preserves long-term affordability. The bill would require the dedicated social housing coordinator to compile findings for social housing strategy and implementation, as specified, and post the findings on the department's internet website. The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2028, to submit a report to the Legislature with actionable recommendations based on the social housing strategy and implementation program findings, as described above.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development and requires it to administer various programs intended to promote the development of housing, including the Multifamily Housing Program, pursuant to which the department provides assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for the eligible costs of development of specified types of housing projects, as provided. This bill would establish the Affordable Housing Risk Reduction Program, administered by the department, to provide technical assistance and supportive resources to affordable housing providers to help them mitigate risk in their portfolio and secure more affordable insurance options. The bill would require the department to develop technical assistance to support affordable housing providers, and would authorize the department and third-party consultants to provide both individual technical assistance to affordable housing providers and develop technical assistance tools that can be made broadly accessible to those providers.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. Existing law, the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 2025 (GRP) , which became effective on July 5, 2025, transfers the Department of Housing and Community Development to the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, which the GRP also establishes, as of July 1, 2026. Existing law makes the department responsible for administering various housing programs throughout the state, including, among others, the Multifamily Housing Program and the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program. Existing law, upon appropriation, authorizes the department to make either or both loans and grants to rehabilitate, capitalize operating subsidy reserves for, and extend the long-term affordability of department-funded housing projects that have an affordability restriction that has expired, that have an affordability restriction with a remaining term of less than 10 years, or are otherwise at risk for conversion, as provided. This bill would establish the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program for purposes of funding the acquisition and rehabilitation of unrestricted housing and attaching long-term affordability restrictions on the housing, while safeguarding against the displacement of current residents. The bill would require the department to issue a request for qualification to select a private sector entity or consortium to manage the program for a period of 5 years. The bill would require the department to grant prescribed funds to the program manager to implement the program and the program manager to make loans or grants to eligible borrowers, as defined, based on underwriting guidelines approved by the department. The bill would authorize the department to issue program funds to regional housing entities, as defined, upon request through a solicitation or other process determined by the department, for purposes of allowing the regional housing entity to use the moneys to issue loans or grants to eligible borrowers within its jurisdiction in accordance with the bill's provisions and department regulations. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations for the operation of the program on or before July 1, 2028, and would exempt the adoption of regulations by the department for these purposes from the Administrative Procedure Act. This bill would apply specified tenant protections to projects funded by the program and would require the department to develop technical assistance and capacity building for the development and ongoing operation of projects funded pursuant to the program, as specified. This bill would establish the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would make moneys available to the department for purposes of the program, upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would set forth requirements for the use of moneys in the fund.

Existing law, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide, under the Transitional Housing Program, funding to counties for allocation to child welfare services agencies to help young adults who are 18 to 24 years of age, inclusive, secure and maintain housing, with priority given to young adults formerly in the state's foster care or probation systems. Existing law, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, also requires the department to allocate funding to counties under the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program to help young adults who are 18 to 24 years of age, inclusive, secure and maintain housing, with priority given to young adults currently or formerly in the foster care system. This bill would extend the age of eligibility for the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program to young adults who are 18 to 28 years of age, inclusive, and would, instead, give priority to nonminor dependents and young adults formerly in the state's foster care or probation system, as defined. The bill would specify the eligible uses of the funding allocated to a county child welfare agency under the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program. Existing law requires a child welfare agency that accepts any distribution of money under either program to report certain data to the department on an annual basis, including specified information relating to the number of homeless youth served and the number of former or current foster youth served, as defined. This bill would revise those reporting requirements to instead require information about the number of young adults served, including the number of young adults formerly in the state's foster care or probation system, as defined, and would require additional information to be reported under the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program related to housing vouchers, as specified.