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California State Legislature And Bills

California State Legislature And Bills

In 2022, the California State Legislature approved 1,166 bills, and Governor Newsom signed 997 of them into law and vetoed the rest. Two dozen of these bills relate to real estate and were either implemented as part of the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget, which began on July 1, 2022, or that are effective on January 1 or July 1, 2023.

Senate Constitutional Amendment (SCA) 2 was enrolled under Chapter 182, Statutes of 2022, as a qualified ballot measure slated for a statewide vote on March 5, 2024 and would repeal Article 34 of the California Constitution. Enacted by voters in 1950, Article 34 requires that any development comprised of “low-rent” dwellings, financed in whole or part by federal, state, or local government, be approved by a vote of the people in the jurisdiction where the project is located. As California is now the only state that has this law in place, the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) was a sponsor of SCA 2 in order to repeal Article 34 in its entirety.

C.A.R. also sponsored several other housing bills signed into law, including AB 2170 that creates a state equivalent of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHA) “First Look Program”, which gives priority to purchasers of foreclosed properties who are prospective owner-occupants, nonprofits, or public entities, and that also prohibits bundled sales of such residential one to four properties.

As part of the state budget, homeownership has also been prioritized through $500 million allocated to the California Housing Finance Agency’s (CHA) California Dream for All Program, a new equity sharing down payment assistance program or shared-appreciation loans to help low- and moderate-income first-time buyers achieve homeownership. In addition, $50 million in funds have been allocated to assist homeowners with low-cost ADU constructions.

Effective July 1, 2023, and to sunset on January 1, 2033, SB 6 enacts the Middle-Class Housing Act of 2022, which deems a housing development project an allowable use on a parcel that is within a zone where office, retail, or parking are a principally permitted use. Similarly, AB 2011 enacts the “Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022” for the purposes of constructing 100% affordable housing projects in commercial zones

ASSEMBLY BILLS

AB 916

Zoning: Bedroom Addition

AB 1410

Common Interest Developments

AB 2011

Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022

AB 2097 Residential, Commercial or Other Development Types: Parking Requirements

AB 2170 Residential Real Property: Foreclosure Sales

AB 2221 Accessory Dwelling Units

AB 2245 Partition of Real Property

AB 2503 Landlords and Tenants: California Law Revision

Commission: Study

AB 2559 Reusable Tenant Screening Reports

AB 2745 Real Estate Broker’s License

AB 2917 Disability Access: Internet Websites, Parking Lots,

and Exterior Paths of Travel

AB 2960

Committee on Judiciary: Judiciary Omnibus:

Real Estate Disclosures

Senate Bills

SB 6

Local Planning: Housing: Commercial Zones

SB197

Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review:

Housing – California Dream for All

SB 851

Personal Income Tax: Small Business Relief Act:

Elective Tax

SB 869

Housing: Mobilehome Parks: Recreational Vehicle

Parks: Manager Training

SB 897

SB 989

Junior Accessory Dwelling Units

Property Taxation: Taxable Value Transfers:

Disclosure and Deferment

SB 1017

Leases: Termination of Tenancy: Abuse or

Violence

SB 1076 Lead-Based Paint

SB 1157 Urban Water Use Objectives

SB 1348

Escrow Agents: Controlled Substances

SB 1477

Enforcement of Judgments: Wage Garnishment

SB 1495

Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development: Professions and

Vocations – Implicit Bias Training