Senator Wiener’s Statement on Housing Budget Trailer Bill

San Francisco –  Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who serves as Chair of the Senate Housing Committee, issued the following statement upon the Governor’s office and Legislative leadership announcing a housing budget trailer bill:

“I support the housing budget trailer bill and thank the Governor and legislative leadership for moving forward a strong and forward-looking piece of legislation. In addition to significant new funding for affordable housing, this bill puts teeth into existing state laws, to ensure cities and counties actually follow those laws. This improved approach to enforcement is a positive step.

“At the same time, we need to be clear that California’s existing housing laws, even with better and more effective enforcement, are inadequate to solve our state’s massive housing shortage: in the range of 2.5-3.5 million homes. We need better and stronger state housing laws that ensure we zone for enough housing, expedite housing approvals, avoid sprawl, protect renters, and fund affordable housing on an ongoing basis.

“After passing this housing budget trailer bill, the Legislature and Governor need to come together to craft substantive housing legislation to address this crisis head-on and end this devastating housing shortage once and for all. I look forward to working collaboratively with our leadership and the Governor to get the job done.”

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