Local employer affordable housing fees: Affordable Housing Assistance Fund.

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of an incorporated city and the county board of supervisors, in the exercise of its police power and for the purpose of regulation, to license any kind of business not prohibited by law transacted and carried on within the limits of its jurisdiction. This bill would require a city, county, or city and county to collect an additional annual fee from any applicant for a local business license in an amount depending on the number of employees employed by the business, as specified. The bill would require the local entity to create a fund, entitled the "Affordable Housing Assistance Fund," in which the fees collected under these provisions would be deposited. The bill would require the moneys in the fund to be used for specified purposes, including first-time homebuyer programs, vouchers for individuals experiencing homelessness, funding and subsidizing affordable housing development projects, and rental assistance. By imposing additional duties upon local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.