|
Support the Senate Housing Package
We were disappointed when another year went by without major housing reform from Sacramento. But the State Legislature is back in session, and so are many critical bills that didn’t make it over the finish line in 2020.
Among the most important reforms on the table is the Senate’s Building Opportunities for All Housing Package. This package of six bills would encourage strong housing production by reforming local land use restrictions, funding affordable housing, and streamlining the housing production process.
- SB 5 finances housing programs for Californians experiencing homeless and extremely low-income households
-
SB 6 legalizes housing production in commercially-zoned areas
-
SB 7 expedites judicial review of CEQA challenges for projects that meet defined environmental and labor requirements
-
SB 8 limits’ cities ability to block production of affordable housing proposed under the State Density Bonus program
-
SB 9 legalizes duplexes and lot splits in single-family residential zones
-
SB 10 streamlines local rezoning to allow “missing middle” housing production
Of course, these bills alone will not fix California’s housing shortage or affordability crisis. Deeper reforms are needed -- but these six bills represent major steps in the right direction, and they deserve to be law.
The Senate Housing Committee will be hearing several Housing Package bills on March 18. Every day counts -- so please send your support letter for the Senate Housing Package today. Make sure your representatives in Sacramento know that you won’t wait another year for them to do their job and end California’s housing crisis.
Meet our new Board Member and Communications Manager!
Haley Feng, Communications Manager
Haley Feng is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at USC’s Price School of Public Policy. Prior to arriving at Price, she attended community college and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UCLA.
Haley grew up in China and immigrated to the United States at 16. Her dual cultural and socioeconomic background informed and motivated her passion for uplifting communities. Haley worked as a project coordinator and later research associate at various nonprofit and institutional organizations, where she took on active roles in communications, outreach, and program management. Efforts under her belt include urban greening, environmental education, a green infrastructure feasibility study, building an urban farm, workforce development, and business assistance.
Haley believes that a just, prosperous, and equitable city must be livable to all and affords opportunities for all. Within the realm of urban planning, she is especially interested in housing and economic development, as well as land use and sustainability.
Sahar F. Khundmiri, AHLA Board Member
Sahar F. Khundmiri is the Volunteer & Advocacy Manager for Safe Place for Youth (SPY) where she promotes pro-housing advocacy, support for the unhoused community on the Westside, anti-racism, and training for volunteers working with youth experiencing homelessness. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Sahar has conducted several facilitations and trainings on a wide variety of topics like homelessness, housing policy, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy. After moving to Los Angeles to continue her work, she was struck by the disastrous results of existing zoning laws and housing overall, like widespread homelessness and BIPOC being disproportionately unhoused. This led to a deep dive into the housing advocacy world for which she actively organizes and advocates for both professionally and personally today. Aside from her advocacy work in housing, in her personal time Sahar is an active sitar player and enjoys facilitating in Muslim and/or BIPOC spaces.
She holds a Masters in Religious Studies and Nonprofit Management, as well as certification for Women and Gender Studies from Georgia State University.
The LA Times Joins in calling for a better Housing Element Update
Over the weekend, the LA Times Editorial Board wrote an article criticizing the City of LA's "Status Quo Plan" and calling for an equitable distribution of housing. They even linked to our coalition letter on the housing element update! This is an important step in increasing the visibility of issues with the Status Quo Plan, and building a movement for a better housing future. Read the LA Times article here.
Senate District 30 Update
In the race for Senate District 30, Abundant Housing LA has decided not to endorse either candidate. The Abundant Housing LA Education Fund was a co-organizer of the Senate District 30 Candidate Forum on Affordable Housing and Homelessness and we encourage members to review that conversation here to help inform their vote.
Black History Month Auction
Thanks to everyone who has bidded thus far on our action, we appreciate all of the love and support for the art. Due to the demand and the fact that our Organizing Director, Rod will be participating in a panel event on redlining in East Hollywood on March 18th, we have decided to extend the auction so that more folks can participate. The auction will now end on March 21st! Click here to see the items.
|
