The second bill, Senate Bill 3, involves a ballot initiative to develop a bond for affordable housing. The bill also includes funding the CalVet Home Loan Program. The state government is looking for an addition $4 billion. One quarter of the bond would go to veteran housing. The other three-fourths would go to existing housing programs, infrastructure, and grant programs for affordable housing. The argument for this bill involves increases in homelessness in California, especially young people and veterans.
The third bill, Senate Bill 35, removes many of the steps that are involved in creating affordable housing. In most communities, affordable housing needs to be approved through a process that includes public input. This would no longer be the case as the government could approve new projects “by-right.”
The Problems with the Senate Bills
As with every government bill, there are several details that should always be closely analyzed prior to making decisions. But, looking at the essence of the bills, it is easy to see the flaws. In Senate Bill 2, the fees appear to be excessive. There are so many costs associated with buying and selling property, which is part of the problem in California. By adding another fee, more money is taken out of the hands of people who already have problems finding affordable housing. The bill also has limited information about the way the fees will be spent. Yes, the bill clearly states where the money will go, but it does not clearly show how it will be spent.
