Housing

Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness and requires the council to take various actions to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the No Place Like Home Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program. This bill would require the council, by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy in the council's publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would require the strategy to include specified elements, including a homelessness prevention action plan for certain state agencies and evidence-based model homeless prevention practices, as specified. The bill would require the council to review and update the strategy in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would limit each state agency's participation to its existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities.

Existing law generally regulates classes of insurance, including residential property insurance. Existing law requires an insurer, in the case of a total loss to the primary insured structure under a policy of residential property insurance, for at least the next two annual renewal periods, but no less than 24 months of coverage from the date of the loss, to renew the policy under certain circumstances, including that the total loss to the primary insured structure was caused by a disaster. Existing law prohibits an insurer from canceling or refusing to renew a policy of residential property insurance for a property located in a ZIP Code within or adjacent to a fire perimeter for one year after the declaration of a state of emergency, if the cancellation or nonrenewal is based solely on the fact that the insured structure is located in an area in which a wildfire has occurred. This bill would instead require an insurer to renew the policy of residential property insurance, under the above-described circumstances, for at least the next three annual renewal periods, but no less than 36 months of coverage from the date of the loss. The bill would also prohibit an insurer from canceling or refusing to renew a policy of residential property insurance for a property located in a ZIP Code within or adjacent to a fire perimeter for two years after the declaration of a state of emergency.

Existing law provides that in a civil action brought by a plaintiff to challenge a housing development project that meets or exceeds the requirements for low- or moderate-income housing, a defendant may seek an order requiring the plaintiff to furnish an undertaking as security for costs and damages that may be incurred by the defendant if the bringing of the action would result in preventing or delaying the project, as specified. Existing law authorizes the court to limit the amount of the undertaking or to decline to require the plaintiff to furnish an undertaking if the court determines that, based on evidence submitted by the plaintiff, furnishing an undertaking would cause the plaintiff to suffer undue economic hardship. This bill would make these provisions applicable to a student housing development, as defined. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 529.2 of the Code of Civil Procedure proposed by SB 1344 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1344 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Existing law identifies various types of property of a judgment debtor that are exempt from the enforcement of a money judgment, including material that in good faith is about to be applied to the repair or improvement of a residence, as specified. This bill would specify that this exemption would apply to the judgment debtor's principal place of residence or domicile.

Existing law, the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 2025 (GRP) , which became effective on July 5, 2025, reorganized specified state agencies and departments, including eliminating the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency as of July 1, 2026, and instead establishing the Business and Consumer Services Agency and the California Housing and Homelessness Agency. The GRP, as of July 1, 2026, sets forth the general responsibilities and roles of the California Housing Homelessness Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Housing Development and Finance Committee, and the California Housing Finance Agency in carrying out state housing policies and programs. Existing law establishes programs providing assistance for, among other things, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, and veteran housing. This bill would require the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, the California Housing Finance Agency, the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and the Housing Development and Finance Committee, no later than July 1, 2027, when administering a multifamily affordable housing program, as specified, to, among other things, review, analyze, and make any changes necessary to their guidelines and regulations to facilitate the production and use of factory-built housing.

The Planning and Zoning Law generally regulates local government zoning and approval of certain types of housing development projects. The law authorizes a development proponent to submit an application for a development that is subject to a prescribed ministerial approval process if the development complies with certain procedural requirements and satisfies specified objective planning standards. The law also requires a housing development project within a specified distance of a transit-oriented development stop to be an allowed use as a transit-oriented housing development on any site zoned for residential, mixed, or commercial development, if the development complies with specified requirements, as applicable. This bill would, by July 1, 2027, require major transit cities to designate at least one regional transit hub district, as specified, and prescribe requirements for those districts, including requiring that a district make a downtown housing development an allowable use, as specified. The bill would define "downtown housing development" as a housing development project within a regional hub district that meets certain conditions, including that it meets specified labor standards. The bill would prescribe requirements for the developments, including that the developments are eligible for streamlined ministerial approval, as specified. The bill would require the California Housing Finance Agency to conduct a housing construction loan and financing study that includes specified components and deliver that study to the Legislature and specified committees by March 1, 2028, as specified. By requiring certain cities to designate regional transit hub districts and requiring streamlined ministerial approval of certain housing developments, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Planning and Zoning law requires each planning agency to prepare and the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city that includes certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to notify the city, county , or city and county and authorizes the department to notify the Attorney General that the city, county, or city and county is in violation of state law if the department finds that the housing element or an amendment to the housing element does not substantially comply with these provisions or that any local government has taken an action in violation of specified laws. This bill would add a violation of the provisions described above to that list of specified laws. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, which includes, among other mandatory elements, a housing element. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the council of governments, to determine the existing and projected need of housing for each region, as provided. Existing law requires the council of governments or delegate subregion, as applicable, to adopt a final regional housing needs plan that allocates a share of the regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county. Existing law requires each council of governments and delegate subregion to distribute a draft allocation of regional housing needs to each local government in the region or subregion. Existing law authorizes a local government within the region or the delegate subregion or the department to appeal to the council of governments or the delegate subregion for a revision of the share of the regional housing need proposed to be allocated to one or more local governments, as specified. Existing law requires the council of governments or the delegate subregion to make a final determination that either accepts, rejects, or modifies each appeal, as provided. This bill would provide that the final determination by the council of governments or the delegate subregion is subject to judicial review, as specified.

Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified persons, including a person with whom the respondent resides, family members, and first responders, among others, to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria. This bill would authorize a first responder to contact the county behavioral health agency in the county in which the individual resides or is found to request the agency file a petition to commence the CARE process. The bill would require the agency to review the request and determine whether to file a petition within 30 business days. The bill would require the agency, upon completion of the review, to notify the first responder that made the referral of specified information, including whether or not a petition was filed. Because the bill would require a higher level of service from county agencies, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the department to create a referral form to be used by the first responders and would require the department to issue guidance on the procedure to request that the agency file a petition to commence the CARE process. The bill would also require the agency to include specified data in their annual report to the department. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires, by December 31, 2026, the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, as provided, to develop a framework for measuring the average carbon intensity of the materials used in the construction of new buildings, including those for residential uses. Existing law requires, by December 31, 2028, the state board to develop a comprehensive strategy for the state's building sector to achieve a 40% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of building materials, as specified, as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2035. Existing law authorizes the state board to establish an embodied carbon trading system, as defined, in compliance with these requirements, as provided. This bill would require the state board to determine whether using building materials with lower embodied carbon would be cost effective during the first 2-year period of their use compared to using conventional building materials before implementing the above-described provisions. If the state board determines that using building materials with lower embodied carbon would not be cost effective during the first 2-year period of their use compared to using conventional building materials, the bill would require the state board to delay or suspend, as applicable, implementation of those provisions for not less than 5 years, not to exceed 10 years in total.

The Planning and Zoning law requires each planning agency to prepare and the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city that includes specified elements, including a housing element. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to designate jurisdictions as prohousing, as specified. The law requires that jurisdictions that have adopted a housing element that has been found by the department to be in substantial compliance with specified requirements and that have been designated as prohousing based on their adoption of prohousing local policies, as defined, be awarded additional points or preference in the scoring of program applications for certain programs. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or county to designate a proposed enhanced infrastructure financing district to finance public capital facilities or other specified projects of communitywide significance that provide significant benefits to the district or the surrounding community, including, among other things, the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing for persons of very low, low, and moderate income for rent or purchase, as specified. Existing law authorizes an infrastructure financing plan to contain a provision for the division of taxes levied upon taxable property in the area included within the district, and authorizes the public financing authority of the district to issue bonds, as provided. This bill would authorize a city or county that is designated as prohousing to establish a prohousing enhanced infrastructure financing district if certain requirements are met, as specified. The bill would prescribe requirements applicable to those districts. The bill would expand the definition of "prohousing local policies" for purposes of the above-described provisions to include the establishment of one of these districts, and would require that the jurisdiction that established, and projects located within, a district receive enhanced points or preference than the baseline provided to other prohousing jurisdictions.