Sac'to Senate Committee Halts -- For Now -- SB 50 (Would Preempt Aspects Of Local Single Family Home Zoning To Promote Density) BUT Lets It Advance In 2020 Possibly With Amendments; Bill's Author Says He's "100% Committed" To It
Over half of LB is voting now on new state Senator who'd cast vote on SB 50. LB Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez is endorsed by SB 50's author and told a May 6 Wrigley forum she opposed SB 50 as then-written. Her runoff opponent is Cudahy Councilman Jack Guerrero who said he opposes SB 50 regardless of amendments on principle to protect local community zoning control. Hear audio clip
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(May 16, 2019, 8:55 p.m.) -- As flashed earlier today (May 16) on LBREPORT.com's front page and Facebook page, the State Senate Appropriations Committee, via a statement made by its Chair Senator Anthony Portantino (D, La Canada/Flintridge), has made SB 50 a "two year bill," effectively halting its advance for now but allowing amendments or political deal-making that could enable Senate passage in the 2020 legislative session.
By that time, over half of LB and multiple southeast L.A. County cities (including adjacent Lakewood) will have a new state Senator allowed to cast a vote on SB 50 possibly with amendments. It will be either LB Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez (who told a May 6 Wrigley candidate forum she opposes SB 50 as currently written) or Cudahy Councilman Jack Guerrero (who said he opposes SB 50 regardless of amendments on the principle of protecting local zoning control.) [To hear their views in their own words click here.]
SB 50 (current text here would override aspects of single family home zoning to allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in single family home neighborhoods and allow multi-story residential buildings within a few blocks of rail transit and enable multiple density bonuses for developers of housing projects that include below market/subsidized units ("affordable housing.")
Reacting to the Committee's action, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Wiener both said expressed disappointment but Sen. Wiener -- who's endorsed LB Councilwoman Gonzalez in the state Senate runoff (with vote by mail ballots circulating now) -- said he's 100% committed to advancing the bill and described today's committee action as "postponing" a vote on SB 50:
[Scroll down for further.]
The Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee made #SB50 a 2-year bill, meaning he won't let it come up for a vote this year. It'll be eligible for a vote in January. While I'm extremely disappointed, I am 100% committed to moving the bill forward. This fight is far from over. pic.twitter.com/0zpDoz6vsO
Senator Wiener introduced SB 50 on December 3, 2018...but the LB City Council took no position on the bill for over five months, despite a November 2018 Council vote to approve a 2019 City of Long Beach "state legislative agenda" (general policies on Sacramento legislation) that include "Oppose legislation that would reduce the City's local land use authority" and "Oppose legislation that preempts the City's existing control over local matters."
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In December 2018, LB Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez announced her candidacy for the 33rd district state Senate seat vacated by former Senator Ricardo Lara (elected Insurance Commissioner in November 2018.) Gonzalez's early endorsers included SB 50 author, Senator Wiener. With the City of Long Beach silent on SB 50, on April 2, SE LB (90815/90803) sate senator Tom Umberg (D, SE LB-west OC) voted "yes" on SB 50 in the state Senate's Housing Committee, which advanced the bill to a second committee which advanced it further with amendments.
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On April 16, the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 to oppose SB 50...unless amended to exclude Los Angeles. A few days earlier, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (SF's City Council) voted by a super-majority to reverse support for SB 50 voiced by SF's Mayor.
At the April 24 state Senate Governance and Finance Committee meeting, state Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D, Los Angeles-SFV) criticized SB 50, and while supporting Governor Gavin Newsom's housing plans, Sen. Hertzberg cited the L.A. City Council's voted opposition in casting his vote to oppose the bill.
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After a number of articles on LBREPORT.com detailed the potential local impacts of SB 50, triggering reaction on social networks, on April 29, 8th dist. Councilman Al Austin (chairs state legislation committee) and 5th dist. Councilwoman Stacy Mungo (formerly a member of that committee) co-agendized a May 7 City Council item to oppose SB 50 ("Request the City Council to oppose Senate Bill 50 (Wiener), which would preempt local zoning laws to allow higher density housing near "transit-rich" and "jobs-rich" areas, including in single-family neighborhoods, and take a "one-size-fits-all" to addressing land use for housing throughout the entire state.")
On May 2, Councilwoman Suzie Price told LBREPORT.com (in response to our inquiry): "...I will be urging my colleagues to oppose SB50 and to do so as a council. I am not sure where any of my other colleagues will fall on this topic. It's important for the city to maintain local control. As a charter city, we should always advocate for the right to be able to develop local policies that are consistent with our local needs, challenges and opportunities. Obviously, issues of state concern will override local policies, but when we are talking about land use, we have to try to maintain local control to whatever extent we can so that we have some options to work with as development and housing trends change."
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During the Council's May 7 discussion of the item, Councilman Rex Richardson (who is Gonzalez's state Senate campaign chair) offered a "friendly amendment" -- which was accepted by Austin and Mungo (who've both endorsed Gonzalez's state Senate run -- to oppose SB 50 "unless amended" to exclude Long Beach. (The final two words effectively let Gonzalez oppose SB 50 before the election, but if elected (and if SB 50 is amended in some ways not known now) then vote to enact it. In offering his "friendly amendment," Councilman Richardson echoed city management's stance that the City of Long Beach has in recent years approved a number of measures to increase housing, including below market/subsidized "affordable" housing, and Richardson argued that LB's record makes it unnecessary for Sacramento to preempt local zoning control regarding Long Beach. The Council's vote was 8-0 (Gonzalez absent for the entire meeting) to oppose SB 50 unless amended to exclude Long Beach.
Prior to the May 16 Senate Appropriations Committee vote, SB 50 had garnered the supporters and opponents listed below (source: Senate's Governance and Finance Committee's legislative analysis as of April 19):
Support: 3,025 Individuals; 6beds, Inc.; AARP; Bay Area Council; Bridge Housing
Corporation; Building Industry Association of The Bay Area; Burbank Housing Development
Corporation; Calasian Chamber of Commerce; California Apartment Association; California
Chamber of Commerce; California Community Builders; California National Party; California
Yimby; Dana Point Chamber Of Commerce; Emeryville; City of; Facebook, Inc.; Fieldstead and
Company, Inc.; Fossil Free California; Greater Washington; Hamilton Families; Local
Government Commission; Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; Ms.; Murrieta Chamber of
Commerce; Natural Resources Defense Council; North Orange County Chamber of Commerce;
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; Office of The Mayor, San Francisco; Orange
County Business Council; Oxnard Chamber of Commerce; Related California; Santa Cruz
County Chamber of Commerce; Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce; Schott & Lites
Advocates Llc; Silicon Valley At Home (Sv@Home); Silicon Valley Leadership Group; South
Bay Jewish Federation; South Bay Yimby; Spur; State Council on Developmental Disabilities;
Stripe; Technet-Technology Network; The Silicon Valley Organization; Tmg Partners; Valley
Industry And Commerce Association; Yimby Action
Opposition: 1,850 Individuals; Aids Healthcare Foundation; Alliance of Californians for
Community Empowerment (Acce) Action; American Planning Association, California Chapter;
Asian Pacific Environmental Network; Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association; Bay Area
Transportation Working Group; Berkeley Tenants Union; Brentwood Community Council -
West Los Angeles; Causa Justa :: Just Cause; Central Valley Empowerment Alliance; Century
Glen Hoa; City of Brentwood; City of Chino Hills; City of Cupertino; City of Downey; City of
Glendale; City of Lafayette; City of Lakewood; City of La Mirada; City of Palo Alto; City of
Rancho Cucamonga; City of Rancho Palos Verdes; City of Pinole; City of Redondo Beach; City
of San Mateo; City of Santa Clarita; City of Solana Beach ;City of Sunnyvale; City of Vista;
Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods; Preserve LA; Concerned Citizens of Los Feliz; Cow
Hollow Association; Dolores Heights Improvement Club; Dolores Street Community Services;
East Mission Improvement Association; East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice; City
of Glendora; Grayburn Avenue Block Club; Homeowners of Encino; Housing for All
Burlingame; Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco; Jobs with Justice San Francisco;
Jordan Park Improvement Association; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; League of
California Cities; Los Angeles Tenants Union - Hollywood Local Case Worker; Los Angeles
Tenants Union -- Networking Team; Miraloma Park Improvement Club; Mission Economic
Development Agency; New Livable California Dba Livable California; Noe Neighborhood
Council; Northeast Business Economic Development Dba Northeast Business Association; City
of Pasadena; Planning Association for the Richmond; Poder; Redstone Labor Temple
Association; Regional-Video; Sacred Heart Community Service; San Francisco Senior And
Disability Action; San Francisco Rising Alliance; San Francisco Tenants Union; Save Capp
Street; Senior and Disability Action; SF Ocean Edge; Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association;
South Bay Cities Council Of Governments; South Brentwood Residents Association; South of
Market Community Action Network; Stand Up For San Francisco; Sunset-Parkside Education
And Action Committee (Speak); Sutro Avenue Block Club/Leimert Park; Telegraph Hill
Dwellers; Tenant Sanctuary; Tenants Together; The San Francisco Marina Community
Association; Toluca Lake Homeowners Association; United to Save the Mission; Urban Habitat;
West Mar Vista Residents Association; Yah! (Yes to Affordable Housing)
Density is an especially sore point in Long Beach, where residents remain mindful of pro-developer policies in the 1980's that enabled "crackerbox" apartment density in single-family home neighborhoods surrounding downtown. The result left a number of LB neighborhoods with chronic issues (including parking.) LB's experience with "crackerbox" density was among the reasons for grassroots LB neighborhood opposition to increased density proposed by LB city staff in 2017-2018 Land Use Element changes.
Developing...with further to follow on LBREPORT.com
Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
