Housing & Homelessness Bills

Extends the housing needs consultation period from 26 to 38 months for most regional planning agencies. Maintains shorter 26-month timeline for five specific regional agencies during the 7th housing revision. Requires detailed data on homelessness, overcrowding, and housing costs in regional housing assessments.

Exempts new small homes under 1,500 square feet from environmental review if sold to first-time buyers. Allows property tax deferral until sale for new homes priced under $400,000. Requires owners to notify assessors within 45 days of property changes or face penalties.

Requires state departments to follow the same housing permit review timelines as local agencies. Automatically approves permits if state departments miss review deadlines. Mandates agencies post examples of approved permits for five types of housing projects online. Sets 30-day review periods for smaller projects and 60 days for larger developments.

Prohibits local governments from modifying residential building standards from 2025 to 2031. Allows building standard changes only for emergency safety needs or home fire-hardening measures. Centralizes building code authority with the state to streamline housing construction. Takes effect immediately to address California's housing affordability crisis.

Authorizes tenants to house people at risk of homelessness with landlord approval through January 2031. Expands eligibility to include disaster-displaced residents and their pets. Requires written agreements between all parties and allows landlords to adjust rent for additional occupants. Holds tenants liable for temporary occupants' actions and enables quick removal for rule violations.

Protects Los Angeles County wildfire evacuees from eviction while staying in hotels and motels. Prevents temporary hotel stays by wildfire evacuees from becoming formal tenant arrangements. Takes effect immediately to address displacement of over 100,000 residents from January 2025 wildfires.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that would revise the definition of mixed-use developments under the Density Bonus Law. Mixed-use projects must designate at least two-thirds of square footage for residential use to qualify for density bonuses.

Allows landlords to prioritize rental applicants who receive government housing assistance without discrimination claims. Permits property owners to inquire about income sources and levels during the rental application process. Maintains existing protections against housing discrimination based on source of income and other protected classes.

Establishes a new Supportive-Recovery Residence Program offering permanent housing for homeless individuals with substance use disorders, emphasizing abstinence-based recovery while maintaining Housing First principles. Requires supportive-recovery residences to obtain state certification and county approval ensuring they do not exceed 25% of a county's permanent supportive housing inventory. Mandates that supportive-recovery residences provide relapse support and prohibits eviction solely based on substance use, requiring assistance in finding alternative housing if needed. Authorizes the Department of Health Care Services to charge up to $1,000 for residence certification to fund program administration.

Establishes mandatory upzoning requirements near rail stations and rapid bus lines to encourage transit-oriented housing development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Requires local jurisdictions to integrate upzoning provisions into their housing elements while allowing exemptions for cities that adopt more permissive zoning standards. Grants transit agencies new authority to set higher-density zoning standards on properties they own or operate. Mandates consultation with stakeholders including local governments, transit operators, and housing advocates to develop equitable upzoning criteria.

Requires California's homeless service providers to create youth-specific processes for connecting homeless youth to housing and support services by fiscal year 2026-27. Mandates the implementation of specialized assessment tools that consider the unique needs of homeless youth beyond just time spent on the streets. Requires service providers to establish youth advisory boards composed of individuals with lived experience of homelessness to guide program design and policies. Creates requirements for providers to develop dedicated housing options specifically designed for homeless youth in their regions.

Establishes new options to expedite residential building permits by allowing applicants to hire private engineers or architects for plan checks when local departments exceed 30-day review periods. Requires local building departments to post permit fee schedules online and provide estimated timeframes for completing plan checks upon receiving applications. Applies only to residential projects with 1-10 units and buildings under 40 feet in height. Mandates building departments to approve or reject private plan check reports within 14 days or the permit is automatically approved.

Freezes residential rent increases in Los Angeles County at January 7, 2025 levels during the state of emergency declared due to the Palisades Fire and windstorm conditions. Maintains rent control restrictions for 12 months after the emergency declaration ends to ensure housing stability. Authorizes district attorneys to enforce price gouging protections during emergencies, including rent increases and essential goods. Imposes civil penalties up to $10,000 for landlords who violate the rent increase restrictions.

Establishes immediate mortgage forbearance options for homeowners experiencing financial hardship due to the January 2025 wildfire disaster. Requires mortgage servicers to grant up to 180 days of payment relief with a possible 180-day extension, requiring only the borrower's attestation of hardship. Prohibits lenders from charging additional fees, penalties, or extra interest during the forbearance period. Prevents mortgage servicers from initiating or proceeding with any foreclosure actions while forbearance is in effect.

Establishes a state-led disaster housing task force to coordinate rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles County communities impacted by the January 2025 wildfires. Creates a state disaster housing coordinator position to expedite delivery of funding and technical assistance to affected communities. Requires quarterly progress reports to the Legislature starting April 1, 2026, through April 2030. Takes effect immediately as an urgency measure to accelerate housing reconstruction in impacted areas.

Intent bill that proposes to restrict density bonus incentives to purely residential developments, excluding projects with any visitor-serving components. Aims to modify existing density bonus programs that currently allow mixed-use developments to qualify for housing incentives. Requires local governments to verify projects are exclusively residential before approving density bonus applications.

Prohibits landlords from using algorithmic pricing software to set rental rates or occupancy levels for residential units in California. Bans the sale or licensing of revenue management software that uses nonpublic competitor data to recommend rental prices. Authorizes both government agencies and tenants to pursue civil actions with penalties up to $1,000 per violation, with each month and unit counting as separate violations.

Modifies affordable housing requirements for surplus land to specify that 25% of units not designated for academic institution members must be dedicated to lower-income households. Requires surplus land to be developed at an average density of at least 10 units per acre, now including housing designated for students, faculty, and staff. Establishes civil penalties up to 50% of property value for violations, with funds directed to affordable housing initiatives. Mandates detailed annual reporting from local agencies on development status and affordable housing unit percentages.

Establishes a state working group to streamline building standards for small multi-unit housing developments. Requires review of construction costs by December 2026 to identify ways to reduce housing development expenses. Mandates updates to building standards every three years with the goal of reducing construction costs by 30 percent. Authorizes residential developments of 3-10 units to be built under simplified California Residential Code rules.

Undeveloped 'intent bill' that would reserve home purchase assistance funds for descendants of slaves. Aims to modify existing state housing assistance program to create dedicated funding for this group.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to expand mental health services workforce for homeless individuals. Targets providers who serve people lacking fixed, regular, or adequate nighttime residences.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to end the Housing First model for addressing homelessness. Proposes shifting focus to shelter beds and mandatory treatment programs over permanent housing solutions.

Establishes permanent regulations for designating cities as prohousing to receive state funding benefits. Exempts smaller cities under 100,000 residents from renewing prohousing status until next housing cycle. Requires state agencies to evaluate housing policies using existing documentation to reduce paperwork.

Prohibits local agencies from requiring property owners to live on-site when building accessory dwelling units. Eliminates parking requirements for ADUs near public transit or in historic districts. Prevents cities from denying ADU permits due to minor building code violations.

Establishes the California Housing Authority to develop publicly-owned mixed-income housing across the state. Creates two housing models: rental units with one-year leases and ownership units with 99-year limited equity leases. Requires residents pay no more than 30% of their income for housing through rent cross-subsidization. Prioritizes development near transit and on vacant or underutilized parcels to meet regional housing needs.