Supporters of AB 1401 argued that housing is more important than parking, an argument commonly offered by "urbanists" who say parking requirements increase the cost of building new housing. The Committee's legislative analysis includes a statement by AB 1401 author Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D, Burbank/Glendale) which states:

California is experiencing a housing crisis and we need to consider all options to reduce the overall cost of housing. There are plenty of communities that have access to high-quality transit, or where cars are underutilized, that need housing far more than they need parking. Yet, many cities require residential or commercial developments to provide on-site parking. Apartments must include one or two parking spots per unit, and commercial properties must provide one space for every 100-200 square feet (frequently causing more space to be provided for parking than for the business itself). Mandatory parking requirements have led to an oversupply of parking spaces; Los Angeles County has 18.6 million parking spaces, or almost two for every resident. These requirements worsen California’s housing shortage by raising the cost of housing. On average, garages cost $24,000-$34,000 per space to build, a cost passed on to households regardless of whether they own a car. Additionally, on-site parking takes up space that could otherwise be used for additional units. AB 1401 doesn't prohibit property owners from building on-site parking. Rather, it would give them the flexibility to decide how much parking to provide, instead of requiring them to comply with a one-size-fits-all mandate.

Sponsor

The legislative analysis sums up opposition as follows:

A coalition of housing and equity advocates are opposed to this bill unless it is amended to take into account zero parking minimums already provided to 100% affordable projects under state density bonus law. This coalition writes that these existing benefits provide a competitive edge for these projects in many markets, which would be eliminated by this bill. Several local governments and community groups are opposed because parking requirements should be established at the local level based on community needs and because parking should be project specific.

Sponsor

SUPPORT:

Abundant Housing LA (Co-Sponsor)
California YIMBY (Co-Sponsor)
Council of Infill Builders (Co-Sponsor)
San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) (CoSponsor)
City Council Member Alysa Cisneros, City of Sunnyvale
City Council Member Brian Barnacle, City of Petaluma
City Council Member Gerard Giudice, City of Rohnert Park
City Council Member James Coleman, City of South San Francisco
City Council Member Jonathan Weinberg, City of Los Altos
City Council Member Mason Fong, City of Sunnyvale
City Council Member Omar Din, City of Sunnyvale
City Council Member Rick Bonilla, City of San Mateo
City Council Member Victoria Fleming, City of Santa Rosa
City Council Member Zach Hilton, City of Gilroy
Vice Mayor Giselle Hale, City of Redwood City
350 Bay Area Action
350 Humboldt
AARP
Active SGV
Alameda-contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit)
American Planning Association, California Chapter
Asian Business Association
Bay Area Council
California Apartment Association
California Building Industries Association
California Downtown Association
California Interfaith Power & Light
California Restaurant Association
California Walks
Circulate San Diego
City of San Diego
Climate Action Campaign
Coalition for Clean Air
Codding Enterprises
Fieldstead and Company, INC.
Greenbelt Alliance
Habitat for Humanity California
Hello Housing
Housing Action Coalition
League of Women Voters of California
LISC San Diego
Local Government Commission
Los Angeles Business Council
MidPen Housing
Modular Building Institute
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Related California
Safe Routes Partnership
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
San Francisco Planning Department
Santa Cruz County Business Council
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Streets for All
The Two Hundred
TMG Partners
TransForm

OPPOSITION:

Albany Neighbors United
Alliance for Community Transit-los Angeles (ACT-LA)
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action
Berkeley Tenants Union
CADEM Renters Council
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Center on Race, Poverty and The Environment
Chinatown Community Development Center
Cities Association of Santa Clara County
City of Bellflower
City of Bradbury
City of Cupertino
City of Goleta
City of Lafayette
City of Oceanside
City of Pleasanton
Communities for A Better Environment
Council of Community Housing Organizations
Esperanza Community Housing Corporation
Housing California
Inner City Law Center
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA)
Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability
Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC)
Mission Street Neighbors
Move LA
Organize Sacramento
Policy Link
Public Advocates
Public Counsel
Public Interest Law Project
Southern California Association of Non-profit Housing (SCANPH)
Strategic Action for a Just Economy (SAJE)
Sustainable Tamalmonte
The United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Town of Truckee
Western Center on Law & Poverty

Sponsor

Sponsor

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