62880.
(a) (1) Revenue generated pursuant to this part shall be used to support the construction and preservation of equitable and environmentally friendly housing, rental protection programs, planning, and technical assistance related to equitable housing, and for other purposes, as provided for in this section.(2) Funding that is derived from a bond issued pursuant to Section 62871 shall be expended solely to purchase or improve real property, consistent with paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution.
(3) The agency shall distribute the revenues derived from a commercial linkage fee established, increased, or imposed pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 62860) of Chapter 2 to eligible jurisdictions in a manner that is consistent with the regional nexus study adopted by the board. An eligible jurisdiction that receives revenues pursuant to this paragraph shall use that revenue solely for equitable and environmentally friendly housing necessitated by a commercial development project on which the fee was imposed, as determined by the board pursuant to Section 62861.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Regional housing revenues” are those revenues generated pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 62851). For each regional housing revenue mechanism, the portion of the region that the mechanism applies shall match the portion of the region to which funds are eligible to be deployed. In the event that one or more local jurisdictions enact housing revenue mechanisms that apply to one or more local jurisdictions, the agency may enter into an agreement to administer the funding on behalf of the local jurisdictions.
(2) “Eligible jurisdiction” means the following jurisdictions:
(A) The County of San Diego.
(B) The City of Carlsbad.
(C) The City of Chula Vista.
(D) The City of Coronado.
(E) The City of Del Mar.
(F) The City of El Cajon.
(G) The City of Encinitas.
(H) The City of Escondido.
(I) The City of Imperial Beach.
(J) The City of La Mesa.
(K) The City of Lemon Grove.
(L) The City of National City.
(M) The City of Oceanside.
(N) The City of Poway.
(O) The City of San Diego.
(P) The City of San Marcos.
(Q) The City of Santee.
(R) The City of Solana Beach.
(S) The City of Vista.
(T) Any city incorporated within San Diego County after the effective date of this title.
(c) Subject to subdivision (e), regional housing revenue shall be allocated pursuant to the following:
(1) Fifty percent of annual funding shall be administered by the agency at the regional level to support programs and projects consistent with the guiding principles of the agency and the equitable and environmentally friendly program parameters set forth in subdivision (d). Excluding any bond indebtedness, the following categories of eligible uses shall apply to these funds:
(A) A maximum of 10 percent shall be used for the agency administrative and operations expenses.
(B) A minimum of 5 percent shall be used for technical assistance to local jurisdictions, research and policy development, and data collection and analysis. Such uses may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Providing technical assistance grants and support to local jurisdictions in planning, housing policy development, land use and zoning policies that align with transit-oriented development, and inclusionary housing policies.
(ii) Researching innovative best-practices to accelerate the production of equity and environmentally friendly housing, and developing reports, briefs, and presentations to disseminate such information among local jurisdictions.
(iii) Drafting model ordinances that may be adopted by any jurisdiction in San Diego County.
(iv) Collecting and tracking information related to housing costs, displacement and displacement risk, rents, and evictions in the region.
(v) Maintaining a list of consultants who shall be available to provide technical assistance, research, and policy development to local jurisdictions consistent with this subparagraph.
(C) A minimum of 40 percent shall be used for equitable housing production.
(D) A minimum of 10 percent shall be used for equitable housing preservation.
(E) A minimum of 15 percent shall be used to support strategic priorities and innovation as identified in the annual expenditure plan.
(F) A minimum of 5 percent shall be used to support rental and tenant protection programs for lower income households. Such uses may include, but are not limited to, legal services for tenants and landlords facing evictions or preevictions, renter and landlord education, coordinated eviction prevention systems, eviction data analysis, programs to improve housing quality and habitability, and rental assistance programs that support low- and moderate-income tenants with rental arrears at risk of eviction, including emergency rental assistance payments paid directly to landlords.
(G) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, a minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 35 percent of regional funds shall be used to support first-time home buyer programs and opportunities for households at or below 135 percent of the area median income. All first-time home buyer projects shall achieve an income average across the project of not more than 120 percent of the area median income.
(2) Fifty percent of annual funding shall be allocated by the agency to local jurisdictions to be administered at the full discretion of the local jurisdiction consistent with the program parameters set forth in subdivision (d). The board shall not create policy guidelines, preferences, or additional program parameters, beyond those set forth in subdivision (d) that would impact the full discretion of local jurisdictions to administer the local funds. The allocation shall be based on each local jurisdiction’s share of very low income, low-income, and moderate-income units as a percentage of the overall regional target for very low income, low-income, and moderate-income units, as determined in the most recent regional housing needs assessment. The board shall not cause the allocation formula to be changed. A local jurisdiction may request the agency to administer all or a portion of its allocated fund. If the agency agrees to administer the funds, it shall develop and adopt an annual expenditure plan applicable to that portion of the funds that shall be approved by the board, in consultation with the local jurisdiction. Excluding any bond indebtedness, the following categories of eligible uses shall apply to these funds:
(A) A maximum of 10 percent shall be used for the local jurisdiction administrative and operations expenses, or agency administrative and operations expenses if the agency agrees to administer a local jurisdictions’ allocated funds.
(B) A minimum of 50 percent shall be used for equitable housing production.
(C) A minimum of 10 percent shall be used for equitable housing preservation.
(D) A maximum of 5 percent shall be used to support rental and tenant protection programs for lower income households. Such uses may include, but are not limited to, legal services for tenants and landlords facing evictions or preevictions, renter and landlord education, coordinated eviction prevention systems, eviction data analysis, programs to improve housing quality and habitability, and rental assistance programs that support low- and moderate-income tenants with rental arrears at risk of eviction, including emergency rental assistance payments paid directly to landlords.
(E) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, a minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 35 percent of local jurisdictions funds shall be used to support first-time home buyer programs and opportunities for households at or below 135 percent of the area median income.
(d) Except as provided in paragraph (6), all funds dedicated to equitable housing production and preservation under subdivision (c), regardless of their administration by the agency or by local jurisdictions, shall be subject to program parameters established pursuant to this subdivision. The agency shall develop project eligibility and prioritization criteria based on the following parameters:
(1) Funds shall be reserved consistent with the following requirements:
(A) Between 20 to 45 percent of funds shall be reserved for households earning between 0 and 50 percent of the area median income.
(B) Between 20 to 40 percent of funds shall be reserved for households earning between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income.
(C) Between 20 to 40 percent of funds shall be reserved for moderate income households, defined as a household earning 80 to 135 percent of the area median income, provided that all first-time home buyer projects shall achieve an income average across the project not to exceed 120 percent of the area median income.
(D) Ten percent to 35 percent of funds shall be reserved for first-time home ownership, as specified in subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) and subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). The funds described in this subparagraph shall be used for first-time home buyer programs and opportunities for households at or below 135 percent of the area median income, inclusive of all funds administered by the agency and by local jurisdictions. These programs can include, but are not limited to, development subsidies to assist in the production of home ownership units dedicated to first-time home buyers, downpayment assistance, closing cost assistance, credit enhancement, credit counseling and repair programs, community land trusts, and shared appreciation mortgage products. All first-time home buyer projects shall achieve an income average across the project not to exceed 120 percent of the area median income.
(E) One hundred percent of funds shall be reserved for households that earn less than 135 percent of the area median income.
(F) The criteria shall prioritize projects that comply with the following:
(i) Projects that have secured, or are actively seeking, state or federal sources of project subsidy, including, but not limited to, tax-exempt bonds and low-income housing tax credits.
(ii) Mixed-income projects that incorporate multiple income tiers, including, but not limited to, very low income, low-income, and moderate-income households.
(iii) Projects that facilitate development on public land identified for equitable housing production.
(2) Eligible projects shall comply with all of the following:
(A) Eligible projects shall satisfy sustainability criteria, as determined by the agency, which shall include one or both of the following criteria:
(i) Be located in a regionally or locally defined priority area for smart growth consistent with the most recent sustainable communities strategy.
(ii) Have a vehicle miles travels per capita that is 15 percent or more below the existing regional average.
(B) For new construction projects, eligible projects shall include onsite renewable generation estimated to produce 50 percent or more of annual electricity use.
(C) For rehabilitation projects, eligible projects shall document at least a 10-percent postrehabilitation improvement over existing conditions energy efficiency.
(D) Eligible projects shall utilize southern California native plant and tree species that require low-water use in sufficient quantities based on landscaping practices in the general market area and low maintenance needs.
(3) The agency shall create additional prioritization criteria that includes, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) The project site is located within one-third mile of existing or planned major transit stops, as defined in Section 21064.3 of the Public Resources Code.
(B) The project site is located within one-half mile of a public park or a community center accessible to the general public.
(C) The project site is within one-half mile of a grocery store or supermarket with a gross interior area of at least 8,000 square feet where staples, fresh meat, and fresh produce are sold. Alternately, the project site may be located within one-half mile of a weekly farmers’ market on the list of certified farmers’ markets maintained by the Department of Food and Agriculture and operating at least five months in a calendar year.
(D) The project site is within one-half mile of a commercial corridor with a mix of uses and access to shops, amenities, and neighborhood-serving retail, and services. Services must be appropriate to meet the needs of the community served, including, but not limited to, childcare, grocery stores, pharmacies, educational services, and health care services.
(E) The project is located within one-quarter mile of a public elementary school, one-half mile of a public middle school, or one mile of a public high school.
(F) Mixed-use developments located one-third of a mile from an existing or planned major transit stop, as defined in Section 21064.3 of the Public Resources Code, that contains onsite amenities or neighborhood-serving retail and services. This may include commercial and community facility uses that provide services designed to improve the quality of life for residents and community members. Services should be appropriate to meet the needs of the community served, including, but not limited to, childcare, grocery stores, pharmacies, educational services, and health care services.
(G) The project utilizes all electric appliances, with exemptions for cooking appliances.
(H) The project provides inclusive and accessible design features, including, but not limited to, interior and exterior accessible routes, zero-step entry, bathroom wall reinforcements, accessible electrical controls, and receptacles.
(4) Funds utilized for housing production and preservation shall be expended to support housing with all-electric appliances in alignment with the deadlines identified in the State Air Resources Board 2022 Scoping Plan. One hundred percent of funds shall support housing with all-electric appliances, with exemptions for cooking appliances, no later than 2029.
(5) Funds shall be expended consistent with the following:
(A) Funding for equitable housing production may be used for land acquisition, housing acquisition, financing, and ownership programs, including the agency serving as a single source of financing, as appropriate.
(B) Funding for equitable housing preservation may be used to acquire, rehabilitate, place affordability restrictions on, and preserve existing housing units, housing from the private market, and units in residential hotels as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 50519 of the Health and Safety Code for affordability, in order to prevent the loss of affordability and expand permanent affordability. Funding provided pursuant to this subparagraph shall be subject to all of the following conditions:
(i) Existing residents of buildings acquired for the purpose of affordable housing preservation shall not be permanently displaced, even if the resident’s household income exceeds the moderate-income limits described in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.
(ii) Buildings acquired for the purpose of affordable housing preservation shall achieve 100 percent occupancy by extremely low or very low income households over time through unit turnover.
(iii) Grants, loans, or other financing provided to community land trusts and other similarly structured nonprofit entities to acquire, rehabilitate, and preserve existing housing units are an eligible use pursuant to this subparagraph.
(iv) Programs to enable low- or moderate-income households to become or remain homeowners, including, but not limited to, below market rate ownership programs, down payment assistance programs, residential rehabilitation loan programs, and grants or loans to assist in the rehabilitation or replacement of existing mobilehomes located in a mobilehome or manufactured home community.
(v) Funding shall be subject to the following conditions in the event that demolition or rehabilitation of housing units is required:
(I) (ia) Any funded development or affordable housing grant on any property that includes a parcel or parcels that currently have residential uses, or within the five years preceding the grant have had residential uses that have been vacated or demolished, that are or were subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of low- or very low income, subject to any other form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power, or occupied by low- or very low income households, shall be subject to a policy requiring the replacement of all those units to be made available at affordable rent or affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families in the same or lower income category as those households in occupancy.
(ib) Replacement requirements shall be consistent with those set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 65915, provided that any dwelling unit that is or was, within the five-year period preceding the grant, subject to a form of rent or price control through a local government’s valid exercise of its police power and that is or was occupied by persons or families above lower income shall be replaced with units made available at affordable rent or affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, low-income persons or families.
(II) If existing residents are required to be relocated due to demolition or rehabilitation needs, the developer is required to provide relocation benefits to the occupants of those housing rental units subject to Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 7260) of Division 7 of Title 1. The developer shall comply with either the local government requirements for relocation assistance to displaced households or the policy set by the agency for relocation assistance to displaced households, whichever provides a greater benefit to the relocated or displaced households.
(III) If existing occupants that are lower income households are required to vacate their units due to demolition or rehabilitation needs, the developer shall provide a right of first refusal for a comparable unit available in the new or rehabilitated housing development that is affordable to the household at an affordable rent, as defined in Section 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, or an affordable housing cost, as defined in Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(6) Paragraphs (2) through (5) shall not apply to the Strategic Priorities and Innovation funds described in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).
(e) No earlier than five years after approval of a funding measure under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 62851) and subject to consultation with the advisory committee, the board may change any of the minimum requirements in subdivision (c) if the board adopts a finding that the region’s needs in a given category differ from those requirements. The board is required to approve the finding by a two-thirds vote. Approval of the finding shall be subject to the public participation requirements provided in Section 62819.
(f) (1) The board shall, in consultation with the advisory committee, adopt an annual expenditure plan for the use of housing revenue by July 1 of each year, except the board shall select the deadline to adopt the first annual expenditure plan. The regional expenditure plan may cover multiple years, as determined by the board.
(2) The annual expenditure plan shall set forth the share of revenue and estimated funding amount to be spent on each of the categories established in subdivision (b), indicate the household income levels to be served within each category of expenditures, and estimate the number of affordable housing units to be built or preserved and the number of tenants to be protected. To the extent feasible, the regional expenditure plan shall include a description of any specific project or program proposed to receive funding, including the location, amount of funding, and anticipated outcomes.
(3) The annual expenditure plan shall include the following information for any specific project that has received an allocation of regional housing revenue during the prior year:
(A) Whether the project proponent has requested a building permit for the project, and if so, the date when it was requested.
(B) Whether the project proponent is eligible to request a building permit for the project, and if so, the date when it became eligible.
(C) Whether the project proponent has obtained final approval or certification that the housing development is habitable, such as a certificate of occupancy, and if so, the date when it was obtained.
(4) Once committed to a specific project, funds shall remain available for expenditure for an additional five years, unless an extension is authorized pursuant to paragraph (5).
(5) If the funds have not been expended within five years of receipt as required in paragraph (4), the project sponsor shall show that it has made adequate progress towards completing the project. If the board finds adequate progress has been made, the board shall authorize an additional 24 months to grant entitlements to the remainder of the project. If the board does not find that the project sponsor has made adequate progress, the funds shall be transferred to the agency. The agency shall hold the funds until the project sponsor submits a plan satisfactory to the agency to move forward with the project or allocate funds to another qualified project consistent with the annual expenditure plan.
(6) For purposes of this subdivision, “adequate progress” means the project has received the land use approvals or entitlements necessary for at least 75 percent of the project’s units.