State housing bills in spotlight as awareness spreads locally Written by Bruce Barton
Concerned local residents continue to closely monitor the legislative paths of two pro-housing bills that some believe could be the most impactful since Proposition 13.
Currently in the State Senate’s Appropriations Committee, Senate Bills 9 and 10 both would allow ministerial approvals encouraging higher-density housing that supersede local zoning regulations.
SB 9, as currently amended, allows for a split of a single-family home lot into two lots, with up to two houses on each lot. SB 10 would authorize local governments to adopt ordinances zoning any parcel up to 10 units if the parcel is located in what’s defined as a “transit-rich, jobs-rich” area or “urban infill site.” “Ministerial” means plans can be
Carolyn Coleman
Like so many essential workers, city employees and elected officials have been in overdrive for the past year, trying to save and support our communities from the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic recession.
California’s cities spent billions addressing the public health crisis, maintaining essential services like public safety, sanitation and transit that our citizens cannot live without, and supporting small businesses to help them survive.
While these efforts have been well-chronicled, at the same time cities have been diligently confronting another emergency: doing their part to address the high cost of housing. The pandemic may have temporarily tempered the public’s attention to this important issue, but for city officials their resolve to do their part has never wavered.
For over a year, members of the public have joined local city council meetings virtually, using phones, Zoom and other teleconference systems to participate in public meetings and make public comments.
While virtual meetings now feel like second nature for many, they are a somewhat new concept for municipal government meetings.
Under the Brown Act, officials and members of the public must be physically present at a meeting in order to participate. But, Gov. Gavin Newsom waived this requirement via a March 2020 executive order at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Newsom s order also authorized local government bodies to hold their public meetings virtually.
It’s Time to Give Local Governments Back their Ability to Protect Public Health and Generate Revenue to Close Budget Gaps Caused by COVID-19
By Lawrence Jackson
Lawrence Jackson (Courtesy Photo)
Money for fresh fruit and vegetables for low-income families. Meals for homebound seniors. Gardening and cooking programs for students and their families. These are some of the programs that were being funded by sugary drink taxes enacted in local communities before Big Soda lobbyists forced California to enact a 12-year statewide ban on these taxes through a 2018 “stinky backroom deal” described by the LA Times as “extortion”.
Last month, California Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian (Van Nuys) had the courage to stand up to Big Soda by introducing a bill (AB 1163) that would undo the “backroom deal” and once again allow local communities to blunt the damage inflicted on their communities from sugary drinks. Nazarian’s simple solution would help local communities suff