Committee Clears Sen. Dodd’s Affordable Housing Bill

SACRAMENTO – Legislation advanced today from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would assist the creation of affordable housing in California by identifying excess state property that could be used for development, advancing earlier initiatives from Gov. Gavin Newsom to address the state housing crisis.

“My bill will ensure we continue to identify which state properties are available for housing and get projects going as economically and efficiently as possible,” Sen. Dodd said. “Because the rapid creation of affordable housing is essential to Californians experiencing increased homelessness and instability because of extreme prices. We must continue to prioritize the use of excess state land.”

The state’s need for affordable housing is significantly outpacing its production, which is negatively affecting Californians. According to a report from the California Housing Partnership, 1.4 million low‑income California households lacked access to affordable housing last year. Despite California’s need for affordable housing, the state has annually fallen 100,000 units short on its affordable housing creation goals for many years.

Gov. Newsom made progress with his 2019 executive order that first called for the use of surplus state land for affordable housing. On his order, the Department of General Services reviewed 44,000 state properties and found 92 of them suitable for affordable housing. However, as of March of this year, only 19 of the properties have been offered by the department for development. A recent California State Auditor report found that process could be accelerated.

Sen. Dodd’s bill, Senate Bill 561, would speed development, codifying the governor’s order and requiring transparency and reporting on the long-term leasing of surplus land to the Legislature. In addition, it would incorporate key recommendations from the State Auditor’s report to facilitate the identification of additional excess state property and the ultimate creation of more affordable housing.

SB 561 was approved with overwhelming support by the Assembly Accountability and Administrative review committee. It heads next to the Assembly housing committee.

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.