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AB-1051 Housing.(2013-2014)

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 08, 2013
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2013

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1051

Introduced by Assembly Member Bocanegra

February 22, 2013

An act to add Part 14 (commencing with Section 53570) to Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing, and making an appropriation therefor.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1051, as amended, Bocanegra. Housing.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 authorizes the State Air Resources Board to adopt a program pursuant to the act to cap greenhouse gas emissions and provide for market-based compliance mechanisms, including the auction of allowances (cap-and-trade program). Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature.
Existing law provides that, to the extent that funds are available, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall make loans for the development and construction of a housing development project within close proximity to a transit station, as specified.
This bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to transportation and residential housing development, as specified. The bill would create the Sustainable Communities for All program, which shall begin operations on January 1, 2015, to fund transit-related projects through competitive grants and loans, as specified. The Sustainable Communities for All program would not be implemented until the Legislature appropriates funds for the program.
This bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to be allocated to the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide loans for the development and construction of housing development projects within close proximity to transit stations, and to other specified projects and programs that show intended to reduce greenhouse gas reductions, as specified. gas emissions.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Chapter 728 of the Statutes of 2008 created a regional transportation and land use planning framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributable to driving. Two approaches that allow Californians to drive less, and that and have a myriad of other benefits for communities and individuals, less are building homes affordable to everyone near frequently used public transit and improving public and active transportation choices.
(b) While demand for more transportation and housing options is high, court action in California Redevelopment Association v. Matosantos (2011) 53 Cal.4th 231 eliminated more than $1,000,000,000 annually that was available for housing development. Additionally, funds from successful state housing bonds are virtually exhausted. Funding for transit in California was cut by more than $4,000,000,000 over the last decade, leading to massive service cuts at transit agencies even as transit ridership soared.
(c) According to the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, living in an affordable, transit-oriented development can reduce a low-income household’s greenhouse gas emissions from driving by up to 65 percent.
(d) Access to public transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Compared to the 20 percent of households with the best public transportation access, typical households in each of the four most populous regions emitted from 27 percent to 42 percent more transportation-related greenhouse gasses.
(e) Because transit, transit-oriented residential development, and bicycle and pedestrian networks are significantly underbuilt in California, investments in their expanded production will have real, lasting impacts on greenhouse gas emissions.
(f) Additional greenhouse gas reductions can be realized by incorporating green infrastructure, such as local parks, urban forestry, and open space, as a component of the livability of transit-oriented development, and transit, bicycle, and pedestrian networks. The protection and restoration of these natural resources reduces emissions and contributes multiple environmental benefits that will help California’s communities become climate resilient.

(f)

(g) Those investments will also create and sustain well-paying jobs at a time of high unemployment and generate myriad other local, regional and statewide economic benefits. Every $1,000,000,000 invested in public transit creates and supports 36,000 jobs and generates nearly $500,000,000 in tax revenues. Similarly, every $1,000,000,000 invested in apartments leverages $3,600,000,000 in private and federal investment and creates 34,500 construction and permanent jobs.

(g)

(h) Revenues Auction proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade program provide a timely opportunity to generate short-term and long-term environmental and economic benefits for California communities, while meeting high demand for transit-oriented residential development, expanded transit, and active transportation opportunities. opportunities, residential energy efficiency improvements, and natural resource conservation and development.

(h)

(i) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to fund existing programs in the short term and create a new programs program in the long term to achieve these goals.

SEC. 2.

 Part 14 (commencing with Section 53570) is added to Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

PART 14. Sustainable Communities for All

53570.
 (a) The Sustainable Communities for All program, which is hereby established, shall begin operations on January 1, 2015, with the goal of equitably implementing Chapter 728 of the Statutes of 2008 by providing transportation and housing choices that allow lower income Californians to drive less and reduce household costs.
(b) The program shall fund all of the following through competitive grants and loans:
(1) Expanded or improved public transit service, including operations to quickly expand service and increase ridership.
(2) Transit capital maintenance.
(3) Development and rehabilitation of transit-oriented residential development that is affordable to low-income households and provides trip reduction strategies including transit passes and car share.
(4) Expanded bicycle and pedestrian networks, facilities, and programs that promote additional use and safety, and that provide access to transit, schools, colleges, shopping, and other destinations.
(5) Expanded vanpool, car share, and carpool promotion programs.
(6) Transportation demand management strategies and incentives that reduce both vehicle travel and ownership, including discounted transit passes in transit priority zones.
(7) Invest in energy efficiency improvement in existing multifamily rental homes affordable to lowerincome households.
(8) Open-space protection, local parks, and urban forestry.

53571.
 The Legislature intends to appropriate moneys for this part in a manner consistent with the requirements of this part, Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 39710) of Part 2 of Division 26, and Article 9.7 (commencing with Section 16428.8) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

53572.
 Implementation of this part, including development of standards and guidelines by the State Air Resources Board and provision of financial assistance to eligible recipients, is contingent upon appropriation of funds for these purposes by the Legislature.

SEC. 3.

 There (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to achieve the goals of the Sustainable Communities for All program in the short term by funding existing programs in the 2013–14 budget year.
(b) There is hereby appropriated ____ dollars ($____) from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to be allocated, as follows:

(a)

(1) To the Department of Housing and Community Development ____ dollars ($____) to be expended to provide loans for the development and construction of housing development projects within close proximity to transit stations, as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 53562 of the Health and Safety Code, in accordance with all of the following:

(1)

(A) These funds shall only finance housing units that will be available at an affordable rent to persons of very low or low-income for at least 55 years. The units may be located in mixed-income developments.

(2)

(B) The department shall use density as a scoring criterion in place of project size.

(3)

(C) The department shall give priority to developments that achieve additional greenhouse gas emissions reductions or energy conservation through onsite renewable energy, energy efficiency, discount transit passes, car sharing, or other similar features.

(b)

(2) To the projects and programs that are eligible to receive funds through the State Transit Assistance program and that show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).

(c)

(3) To the projects and programs that are eligible to receive funds through the Bicycle Transportation Account and that show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).

(d)

(4) To the projects and programs that are eligible to receive funds through the Safe Routes to Schools program and that show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).

(e)

(5) To the projects and programs that are eligible to receive funds through the federal Transportation Alternative Program (23 U.S.C. Sec. 213) and that show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).

(f)

(6) To the Energy Savings Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program ____ dollars ($____).
(7) To the California Natural Resources Agency ____ dollars ($____) for allocation to its departments and state conservancies for the purposes of funding the following projects that show greenhouse gas reductions: urban forestry, local parks, and the protection of open space, including wildlife habitats and working lands.