(SACRAMENTO, CA) – California’s work to address the ongoing housing crisis got a boost with the unanimous approval of legislation by newly elected Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D - Inglewood). AB 1743 (McKinnor), which requires local governments to report the amount of housing that was actually produced and occupied in the previous year, was approved by the State Assembly on a vote of 75 to 0. On Tuesday, the State Senate gave its final approval of McKinnor’s legislation on a vote of 40 to 0.
An analysis by McKinsey & Company estimated that California lacks over 2 million units of housing to meet the needs of its residents. To address this crisis, the legislature and the governor included nearly $4 billion in this year’s state budget for various initiatives to address homelessness and housing scarcity. As these and other funding sources begin to roll out, there is currently no mechanism to determine how many housing units from these or other public funds were not just zoned, but built and occupied.
“We can solve California’s housing crisis through partnerships between government, developers, non-profit and faith-based organizations,” said Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. “By harnessing the innovative will of Californians, necessary public and private investments and a legislature and governor truly committed to solving the housing crisis, I am confident that we can help all Californians find a safe and affordable place to call home. The information provided by AB 1743 will give the public and policy makers an important metric necessary to guide our efforts to expand housing opportunities to all Californians in the future.” AB 1743 now heads to Governor Newsom for final action.