Property tax: welfare exemption: low-income housing.

Existing property tax law, in accordance with the California Constitution, provides for a welfare exemption for property that meets certain requirements, including that it is used exclusively for religious, hospital, scientific, or charitable purposes and is owned and operated by certain nonprofit entities. Under existing property tax law, property that meets these requirements that is used exclusively for rental housing and related facilities is entitled to a partial exemption, equal to that percentage of the value of the property that is equal to the percentage that the number of units serving lower income households represents of the total number of residential units, in any year that any of certain criteria apply, including that the owner is eligible for and receives low-income housing tax credits pursuant to specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. This bill, in the case of an owner of property that is eligible for the above-described federal low-income housing tax credit, would provide that a unit would continue to be treated as occupied by a lower income household if the occupants were lower income households on the lien date in the fiscal year in which occupancy of the unit commenced and the unit continues to be rent restricted, notwithstanding an increase in the income of the occupants of the unit to 140% of area median income, but that the unit would cease to be treated as a lower income unit if the income of the occupants of the unit increases above 140% of area median income. The bill would provide that its provisions would be operative only from the 2018–19 fiscal year through the 2027–28 fiscal year. This bill would require a claim for the welfare exemption on qualified property to be accompanied by an affidavit containing specified information regarding the units occupied by lower income households for which the exemption is claimed and would provide that affidavit is not subject to public disclosure. By imposing new duties upon county tax officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.