News release
A bill by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, aiming to expedite housing construction has passed the state Assembly and awaits consideration in the Senate.
Tthe Expediting State Housing Permits Act (Assembly Bill 301) was passed as part of a package of housing legislation aimed at tackling the state’s housing crisis, according to a news release from Schiavo’s office.
The bill streamlines the state permitting process and eliminates avoidable delays that slow down housing construction, the release said.
“In the middle of a housing crisis, it’s crucial we pull all the levers available to us to build more housing faster and that’s affordable. We can’t let bureaucracy needlessly delay these desperately needed housing projects,” Schiavo said in the release. “The Expediting State Housing Permits Act holds state agencies accountable to the same deadlines as local governments, so that families aren’t stuck waiting for what can be as simple as a state agency sign-off.”
The goal of the bill is to break down barriers to building more housing, which in the end will create more housing stock and lead to more housing that’s affordable, the release said. The bill aligns state review timelines with those already required of counties for completeness checks and permit approvals. If a state agency fails to meet the required deadlines, the permit is deemed approved or the review considered complete, removing one of the most frustrating roadblocks to getting housing built, the release said.
“We’re tackling the housing crisis so that California can again be a place where new homes are built quickly, because housing supply is a key driver of overall affordability for families,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, who is joint authoring the bill, said in the release. “The Assembly’s fast action on these housing bills is a key step toward reducing construction delays and cost overruns.”
The legislation passed the Assembly last week on a 76-0 vote, with four members absent.
