Berman bill would limit cities’ ability to tack on fees to housing developments

Berman bill would limit cities’ ability to tack on fees to housing developments

by Gennady Sheyner
January 24, 2024

Cities will no longer be able to tack on impact fees to housing units that developers produce through California’s density-bonus program under legislation proposed by state Assembly member Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park.
The bill, known as Assembly Bill 2063, would apply to a range of fees — including inclusionary zoning fees and in-lieu fees — that cities currently tack on to housing developments. Cities use these fees to bolster their affordable housing funds and support community services such as libraries and parks.

Letter to the editor: Yes, a taxpayer can sue over the state’s housing laws

Letter to the editor: Yes, a taxpayer can sue over the state’s housing laws

By TIM REDMOND
JANUARY 2, 2024

We love letters to the editor. Here’s one from someone who actually knows the answer to a question I raised:
In “Peskin, Chan want to know if SF can sue the state over impossible housing rules,” Tim Redmond asks, “Could a San Francisco citizen, or organization [as distinguished from San Francisco itself], sue? ‘That,’ said Peskin, ‘is a very good question.’”

These New California Housing Laws Are Going Into Effect in 2024

These New California Housing Laws Are Going Into Effect in 2024

Erin Baldassari
Jan 2, 2024

In 2017, California lawmakers broke through a longstanding logjam of anti-housing sentiment, unleashing 15 landmark bills that sought to boost new construction across the state. Six years later, the 2023 legislative session saw 56 housing bills signed into law, evidence the tide has yet to turn on efforts to increase home affordability in the state.

Hochul to abandon required construction mandates in ambitious housing plan

Hochul to abandon required construction mandates in ambitious housing plan

BY BEN MAX
NOVEMBER 29, 2023 03:24 PM ET

Gov. Kathy Hochul will not continue to pursue legislation to require housing growth across New York when she releases her 2024 agenda, according to several sources familiar with the governor’s deliberations. Attempting to take on the state’s housing supply and affordability crisis, Hochul made housing a top priority last session after winning her first election to the governor’s office