BILL NUMBER: AB 1051 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2013
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bocanegra
FEBRUARY 22, 2013
An act to add Part 14 (commencing with Section 53570) to Division
31 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing, and making an
appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1051, as amended, Bocanegra. Housing.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 authorizes the
State Air Resources Board to adopt a program pursuant to the act to
cap greenhouse gas emissions and provide for market-based compliance
mechanisms, including the auction of allowances (cap-and-trade
program). Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and
penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of
allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be
deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available,
upon appropriation by the Legislature.
Existing law provides that, to the extent that funds are
available, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall
make loans for the development and construction of a housing
development project within close proximity to a transit station, as
specified.
This bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature
relating to transportation and residential housing development, as
specified. The bill would create the Sustainable Communities for All
program, which shall begin operations on January 1, 2015, to fund
transit-related projects through competitive grants and loans, as
specified. The Sustainable Communities for All program would not
be implemented until the Legislature appropriates funds for the
program.
This bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Fund to be allocated to the Department of Housing and
Community Development to provide loans for the development and
construction of housing development projects within close proximity
to transit stations, and to other specified projects and
programs that show intended to reduce
greenhouse gas reductions, as specified. gas
emissions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Chapter 728 of the Statutes of 2008 created a regional
transportation and land use planning framework to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions attributable to driving. Two approaches that allow
Californians to drive less, and that and have a myriad of
other benefits for communities and individuals, less
are building homes affordable to everyone near
frequently used public transit and improving public and
active transportation choices.
(b) While demand for more transportation and housing options is
high, court action in California Redevelopment Association v.
Matosantos (2011) 53 Cal.4th 231 eliminated more than $1,000,000,000
annually that was available for housing development. Additionally,
funds from successful state housing bonds are virtually exhausted.
Funding for transit in California was cut by more than $4,000,000,000
over the last decade, leading to massive service cuts at transit
agencies even as transit ridership soared.
(c) According to the California Air Pollution Control Officers
Association, living in an affordable, transit-oriented development
can reduce a low-income household's greenhouse gas emissions from
driving by up to 65 percent.
(d) Access to public transportation reduces greenhouse gas
emissions. Compared to the 20 percent of households with the best
public transportation access, typical households in each
of the four most populous regions emitted from 27 percent to 42
percent more transportation-related greenhouse gasses.
(e) Because transit, transit-oriented residential development, and
bicycle and pedestrian networks are significantly underbuilt in
California, investments in their expanded production will have real,
lasting impacts on greenhouse gas emissions.
(f) Additional greenhouse gas reductions can be realized by
incorporating green infrastructure, such as local parks, urban
forestry, and open space, as a component of the livability of
transit-oriented development, and transit, bicycle, and pedestrian
networks. The protection and restoration of these natural resources
reduces emissions and contributes multiple environmental benefits
that will help California's communities become climate resilient.
(f)
(g) Those investments will also create and sustain
well-paying jobs at a time of high unemployment and generate myriad
other local, regional and statewide economic benefits. Every
$1,000,000,000 invested in public transit creates and supports 36,000
jobs and generates nearly $500,000,000 in tax revenues. Similarly,
every $1,000,000,000 invested in apartments leverages $3,600,000,000
in private and federal investment and creates 34,500 construction and
permanent jobs.
(g)
(h) Revenues Auction proceeds
from the state's cap-and-trade program provide a timely
opportunity to generate short-term and long-term environmental and
economic benefits for California communities, while meeting high
demand for transit-oriented residential development, expanded
transit, and active transportation
opportunities. opportunities, residential energy
efficiency improvements, and natural resource conservation and
development.
(h)
(i) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to
fund existing programs in the short term and create a new
programs program in the long term to
achieve these goals.
SEC. 2. Part 14 (commencing with Section 53570) is added to
Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
PART 14. Sustainable Communities for All
53570. (a) The Sustainable Communities for All program, which is
hereby established, shall begin operations on January 1, 2015, with
the goal of equitably implementing Chapter 728 of the Statutes of
2008 by providing transportation and housing choices that allow lower
income Californians to drive less and reduce household costs.
(b) The program shall fund all of the following through
competitive grants and loans:
(1) Expanded or improved public transit service, including
operations to quickly expand service and increase ridership.
(2) Transit capital maintenance.
(3) Development and rehabilitation of transit-oriented residential
development that is affordable to low-income households and provides
trip reduction strategies including transit passes and car share.
(4) Expanded bicycle and pedestrian networks, facilities, and
programs that promote additional use and safety, and that provide
access to transit, schools, colleges, shopping, and other
destinations.
(5) Expanded vanpool, car share, and carpool promotion programs.
(6) Transportation demand management strategies and incentives
that reduce both vehicle travel and ownership, including discounted
transit passes in transit priority zones.
(7) Invest in energy efficiency improvement in existing
multifamily rental homes affordable to lowerincome households.
(8) Open-space protection, local parks, and urban forestry.
53571. The Legislature intends to appropriate moneys for this
part in a manner consistent with the requirements of this part,
Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 39710) of Part 2 of Division 26,
and Article 9.7 (commencing with Section 16428.8) of Chapter 2 of
Part 2 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
53572. Implementation of this part, including development of
standards and guidelines by the State Air Resources Board and
provision of financial assistance to eligible recipients, is
contingent upon appropriation of funds for these purposes by the
Legislature.
SEC. 3. There (a) It
is the intent of the Legislature to achieve the goals of the
Sustainable Communities for All program in the short term by funding
existing programs in the 2013 -14 budget year.
(b) There is hereby appropriated
____ dollars ($____) from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to be
allocated, as follows:
(a)
(1) To the Department of Housing and Community
Development ____ dollars ($____) to be expended to provide loans for
the development and construction of housing development projects
within close proximity to transit stations, as specified in
subdivision (b) of Section 53562 of the Health and Safety Code, in
accordance with all of the following:
(1)
(A) These funds shall only finance housing units that
will be available at an affordable rent to persons of very low or
low-income for at least 55 years. The units may be located in
mixed-income developments.
(2)
(B) The department shall use density as a scoring
criterion in place of project size.
(3)
(C) The department shall give priority to developments
that achieve additional greenhouse gas emissions reductions or energy
conservation through onsite renewable energy, energy efficiency,
discount transit passes, car sharing, or other similar features.
(b)
(2) To the projects and programs that are eligible to
receive funds through the State Transit Assistance program and that
show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).
(c)
(3) To the projects and programs that are eligible to
receive funds through the Bicycle Transportation Account and that
show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).
(d)
(4) To the projects and programs that are eligible to
receive funds through the Safe Routes to Schools program and that
show greenhouse gas reductions ____ dollars ($____).
(e)
(5) To the projects and programs that are eligible to
receive funds through the federal Transportation Alternative Program
(23 U.S.C. Sec. 213) and that show greenhouse gas reductions ____
dollars ($____).
(f)
(6) To the Energy Savings Assistance Program and the
Weatherization Assistance Program ____ dollars ($____).
(7) To the California Natural Resources Agency ____ dollars
($____) for allocation to its departments and state conservancies for
the purposes of funding the following projects that show greenhouse
gas reductions: urban forestry, local parks, and the protection of
open space, including wildlife habitats and working lands.