Sen. Ben Allen

This measure would call upon the Biden Administration to cancel all federal student debt.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development and sets forth its powers and duties. Existing law creates a housing authority in each county or city, which functions upon the adoption of a specified resolution by the relevant governing body. Existing law authorizes these housing authorities, within their jurisdictions, to construct, reconstruct, improve, alter, or repair all or part of any housing project. Existing law establishes various programs that provide housing assistance. This bill would enact the Social Housing Act and would create the California Housing Authority, as an independent state body, the mission of which would be to produce and acquire social housing developments for the purpose of eliminating the gap between housing production and regional housing needs assessment targets, as specified. The bill would prescribe a definition of social housing that would describe, in addition to housing owned by the authority, housing owned by other entities, as specified, provided that all social housing developed by the authority would be owned by the authority. The bill would prescribe the composition of the California Housing Authority Board, which would govern the authority, and would be composed of appointed members and members who are elected by residents of social housing developments, as specified. The bill would prescribe the powers and duties of the authority and the board. The bill would provide that the authority seeks to achieve revenue neutrality, as defined, and would require the authority to seek to recover the cost of development and operations over the life of its properties through the mechanism of rent cross-subsidization, as defined. The bill would require the authority to prioritize the development of specified property, including vacant parcels and parcels near transit, and would prescribe a process for the annual determination of required social housing units. Under the bill, social housing would accommodate a mix of household income ranges and would provide specified protections for residents, who would participate in the operation and management of the units in which they reside. This bill would require the California Housing Authority to employ 2 leasing models in social housing developments, to be referred to as the rental model and the ownership model, and would prescribe the characteristics of both models. Under the ownership model, the authority would extend a 99-year lease, in the form of a limited equity arrangement, as defined, to individuals who commit to a minimum 5-year term of residence, and would authorize the authority to act as a lender to residents who lease under the ownership model, for the purpose of creating leasehold mortgages. The bill would prescribe how the amounts of rents and payments on leasehold mortgages are to be set in relation to household income, and with reference to property subject to the ownership model, how they may be sold and transferred. The bill would establish eligibility requirements for social housing residents and provide for the selection of residents by lottery, as specified, providing that people who may have been displaced from a property as part of its development would be granted a preference for occupancy. This bill, among other things, would require the authority to accept a local jurisdiction's preference for a project parcel if specified conditions are met. The bill would establish various duties for the authority and requirements for contractors and subcontracting in connection with the labor used to produce housing, including provisions relating to the solicitation of bids, the payment of prevailing wages, and the participation of a skilled and trained workforce. The bill would prescribe civil penalties to be imposed by the Labor Commissioner on the authority, contractors, and subcontractors for specified violations of these provisions. The bill would prescribe requirements for the participation of labor in the production, rehabilitation, and maintenance of housing, including requiring the authority to enter into community workforce agreements and to comply with specified requirements for the payment of prevailing wages. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to provide financing for the activities of the authority through the issuance of general obligations bonds. The bill would authorize the authority to issue revenue bonds, as specified. The bill would require the board to provide for regular audits of the authority's accounts and records, as specified. The bill would also require the authority to prepare and submit specified reporting information on its business plan and progress to the Legislature on an annual basis.

Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which is administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the application, issuance, and suspension of alcoholic beverage licenses. Existing law authorizes a licensed craft distiller to manufacture and produce distilled spirits, subject to specified conditions, including that the licensee manufacture no more than 150,000 gallons of distilled spirits per fiscal year and sell no more than 2.25 liters of prepackaged containers of the licensee's spirits per day per consumer at its premises. This bill would authorize a licensed craft distiller to sell and deliver to a consumer at its premises up to 4.5 liters of prepackaged containers of the licensee's spirits per day per consumer. This bill would authorize a craft distiller licensed in this state and a distilled spirits producer or craft distiller licensed in any other state that complies with the conditions necessary for the issuance of a craft distiller's license, upon issuance of a distilled spirits direct shipper permit, to sell and ship a specified amount of distilled spirits directly to a resident of California, who is 21 years of age or older, for the resident's personal use and not for resale, as provided. The bill would impose various obligations on distilled spirits direct shipper permitholders before they could begin shipping, including obtaining a seller's permit or registering with the State Board of Equalization. The bill would require a distilled spirits producer or craft distiller to certify under penalty of perjury that it meets specified requirements when filing initial and renewal applications. The bill would prohibit sales and shipments of distilled spirits directly to consumers in California from distilled spirits producers who do not possess a distilled spirits direct shipper permit. The bill would provide that a person who knowingly makes, participates in, transports, imports, or receives such a shipment would be guilty of a misdemeanor. By expanding the definitions of crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

The California Constitution declares that defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy are inalienable rights, and that a person may not be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law or equal protection of the laws. Existing law, the Reproductive Privacy Act, declares that every individual possesses a fundamental right of privacy with respect to personal reproductive decisions and prohibits the state from denying or interfering with a person's right to choose or obtain an abortion before viability of the fetus, or when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the person. This measure would amend the California Constitution to prohibit the state from denying or interfering with an individual's reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.

This measure would urge President Joseph Biden and Congress to facilitate the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees and call upon Governor Newsom to aid in their resettlement within California.

Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt regional transportation plans directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Existing law requires each regional transportation plan to also include a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization in order to, among other things, achieve certain targets established by the State Air Resources Board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region for 2020 and 2035, respectively. Existing law, to the extent the sustainable communities strategy is unable to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, requires the affected metropolitan planning organization to prepare an alternative planning strategy showing how the targets may be achieved through alternative development patterns, infrastructure, or additional transportation measures or policies. Existing law requires each regional transportation planning agency or county transportation commission to biennially adopt and submit to the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation a 5-year regional transportation improvement program that includes, among other things, regional transportation improvement projects and programs proposed to be funded, in whole or in part, in the state transportation improvement program. This bill would require that those projects and programs included in each regional transportation improvement program also be consistent with the most recently prepared sustainable communities strategy of the regional transportation planning agency or county transportation commission, or, if applicable, the alternative planning strategy, and state and federal air quality standards. The bill would prohibit funds collected from any local transportation tax measure passed on or after January 1, 2023, from being spent until the transportation projects or programs to be funded by the tax measure are included in the most recently adopted sustainable communities strategy of the applicable regional transportation planning agency or county transportation commission or, if applicable, the alternative planning strategy. The bill would also prohibit the expenditure of funds from local tax measures that passed before January 1, 2023, but that exclusively provide for the collection and expenditure of funds on or after January 1, 2023, until the transportation projects or programs to be funded by the tax measure are included in the most recently adopted sustainable communities strategy, or, if applicable, the alternative planning strategy. By imposing additional requirements on local government, including regional transportation planning agencies and county transportation commissions, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control. Existing law requires the department to prepare and submit to the Governor a proposed budget, as provided. This bill would prohibit state funds from being used for a project that increases single-occupancy vehicle capacity, unless the project is included in an adopted sustainable communities strategy, or, if applicable, alternative planning strategy, provides sufficient enforceable mitigation to ensure that including the project in the sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy will not increase the emissions of greenhouse gases, and the metropolitan planning organization finds that the project helps advance other regional goals, as provided. 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.

Existing federal law, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude those compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments to tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the amendments to the tribal-state gaming compacts entered into between the State of California and the Alturas Indian Rancheria, California, the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, California, the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, California, the Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California, the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California, the Bishop Paiute Tribe, the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria, California, the Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation, California, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation, California, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, California, the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California, the Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria, California, the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California, the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, California, the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria, California, the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, the Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation, California, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California, the Pit River Tribe, California, the Redding Rancheria, California, the Resighini Rancheria, California, the Robinson Rancheria, the Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California, the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, California, and the Table Mountain Rancheria to extend the terms of those compacts. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to those amended compacts are not projects for the purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, commonly known as the Ellis Act, generally prohibits public entities from adopting any statute, ordinance, or regulation, or taking any administrative action, to compel the owner of residential real property to offer or to continue to offer accommodations, as defined, in the property for rent or lease. Existing law authorizes any public entity that has in effect any control or system of control on the price at which accommodations are offered for rent or lease to require by statute or ordinance, or by regulation, that the owner notify the entity of an intention to withdraw those accommodations from rent or lease, and to require that the notice contain specified statements. This bill would, when a public entity has a price control system in effect, prohibit an owner of accommodations from filing a notice with a public entity of an intention to withdraw accommodations or prosecuting an action to recover possession of accommodations, or threatening to do so, if not all the owners of the accommodations have been owners of record for at least 5 continuous years, with specified exceptions, or with respect to property that the owner acquired within 10 years after providing notice of an intent to withdraw accommodations at a different property for a period of 10 years from the date the new property is acquired, This bill would require an owner of accommodations notifying the public entity of an intent to withdraw accommodations from rent or lease, as provided, to identify each person or entity with an ownership interest in the accommodations, as provided. That information would be available for public inspection. The bill would prohibit an owner or any person or entity with an ownership interest from acting in concert with a coowner, successor owner, prospective owner, agent, employee, or assignee to circumvent these provisions. The bill would provide specified, nonexclusive remedies for a violation. 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 Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board (state board) as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Certain of these agencies are designated under federal law as metropolitan planning organizations. As part of a regional transportation plan, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to adopt a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy, which is designed to achieve certain targets for 2020 and 2035 established by the state board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region. This bill would establish, until January 1, 2028, the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to provide guidance, on or before January 1, 2024, to the state board for approving new guidelines for sustainable communities strategies. The collaborative would consist of one representative each of the state board, the Transportation Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Strategic Growth Council, along with 10 public members representing various local and state organizations, as specified. The bill would require, on or before December 31, 2025, the state board to update the guidelines for sustainable communities strategies to incorporate suggestions from the collaborative.

Existing law authorizes the State Public Works Board to select and acquire, in the name of and behalf of the state, with the consent of the state agency concerned, real property, as described. Existing law, however, requires the board to acquire, on behalf of and for the Department of Parks and Recreation, any interests in real property, as described, and sets forth procedures for the purchase of real property for the state park system. Existing law also authorizes the department to take certain actions, including appraising and selecting real property for the purpose of acquiring an option to purchase real property for the state park system, for purposes of this requirement. This bill would, for purposes of the state park system, exempt from these provisions transactions that meet specified conditions, including that the Department of Parks and Recreation determined that it will not require additional state resources to manage the land or other real property.