California State Senator Scott Wiener was joined by housing advocates and building trade groups on Monday to introduce legislation aimed at accelerating the construction of affordable housing.
Senate Bill 423 would remove the sunset on SB 35, which accelerates permitting of some multi-family housing projects by allowing developers to sidestep the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
At the press conference, Ramie Dare, real estate development director of the affordable housing developer, Mercy Housing California, said that under SB 35, Mercy Housing has built or is building more than 1,500 housing units.
"The extension of SB 35, past the year 2025, is vital to our collective ability to respond to the state’s housing crisis with quality, affordable housing for our families, seniors, and our most vulnerable citizens," she said.
Wiener said that under SB 35, 11,000 units of housing have been approved statewide. Almost all of the nearly 2,000 units built under SB 35 in San Francisco are affordable housing, according to city data.
SB 423 would also change SB 35’s labor provisions by requiring contractors to pay prevailing wages to any project of 11 or more units. Developers of projects of 50 or more units would also be required to offer employment opportunities to state-registered apprentices, in addition to providing health insurance to construction workers and their dependents.
