BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       


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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 269|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 269
          Author:   Mullin (D)
          Amended:  6/29/04 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE HOUSING & COMM. DEV. COMMITTEE  :  7-1, 6/21/04
          AYES:  Ducheny, Ackerman, Alarcon, Cedillo, Dunn, Florez,  
            Torlakson
          NOES:  Hollingsworth

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 1/29/04 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Redevelopment:  San Mateo County

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST :    This bill allows any redevelopment agency within  
          San Mateo County to participate in a joint powers authority  
          for the purpose of pooling their low- and moderate-income  
          housing fund for affordable housing.

           ANALYSIS  :    Under the Community Redevelopment Law (CRL),  
          redevelopment agencies must set aside 20 percent of their  
          annual property tax increment revenues in a Low and  
          Moderate Income Housing Fund (L&M Fund) to increase,  
          improve, and preserve affordable housing.  L&M Funds can be  
          used to buy land, build structures, buy buildings,  
          rehabilitate buildings, subsidize housing, pay bonds or  
          other indebtedness, maintain mobilehomes, preserve  
          subsidized units, replace destroyed housing units, and  
          other related uses.
                                                           CONTINUED





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          Article XVI, Section 16 of the California Constitution  
          provides that tax increment which accrues to a  
          redevelopment agency must be used to pay indebtedness to  
          finance the "redevelopment project."  As a general rule,  
          this is interpreted to mean that the use of tax increment  
          must benefit the project area.  However, state law  
          specifically allows for L&M funds to be spent inside or  
          outside a project area, but within the territorial  
          jurisdiction of the agency, upon a finding that the use  
          will be of benefit to the project.  This finding is  
          considered final and conclusive.

          Current law also contains a number of exceptions to the  
          rule that L&M funds must be spent within the jurisdiction.

          1.There is a general statute that, until January 1, 2008,  
            allows contiguous redevelopment agencies located within  
            adjoining cities within a single Metropolitan Statistical  
            Area to participate in a joint powers authority (JPA) for  
            the purpose of pooling their L&M funds for affordable  
            housing uses.

          2.The Contra Costa County Redevelopment Agency may use its  
            L&M funds within the incorporated limits of the City of  
            Walnut Creek on sites contiguous to the Pleasant Hill  
            BART Station Area Redevelopment Project area.

          3.The Orange County Development Agency may use its L&M  
            funds within the incorporated limits of any city within  
            the County of Orange.

          4.The County of Solano and the Cities of Fairfield, Suisun  
            City and Vacaville may create a joint powers agency for  
            the purpose of pooling L&M funds in order to provide  
            housing for the retention of Travis Air Force Base.

          Each of these exceptions is subject to a number of  
          conditions that ensure the efficient and beneficial use of  
          the funds and that the expenditure outside the jurisdiction  
          will not result in racial or economic segregation.  Among  
          the conditions common to two or more of the exceptions are:

          1.The community has an up-to-date housing element that has  







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            been approved by the State Department of Housing and  
            Community Development (HCD).

          2.The agency has met at least 50 percent of its share of  
            the regional housing need for very low and low-income  
            households.

          3.The agency has met its replacement housing need or  
            encumbered and contractually committed sufficient funds  
            to meet these requirements.

          4.Funds may only be used to pay for the direct costs of  
            constructing, substantially rehabilitating, or preserving  
            the affordability of housing units and not for planning  
            and administration or offsite improvements.

          5.The funds may only be used to finance housing that is  
            affordable to very low and low-income households.

          6.The funds may not be spent in an area that has more than  
            50 percent minority or low-income.

          7.The development to be funded shall not result in any  
            residential displacement from the site where the  
            development is to be built.

          8.If less than all the units in the development are  
            affordable to, and occupied by, low- or moderate-income  
            persons, any agency assistance may not exceed the amount  
            needed to make the housing affordable to, and occupied  
            by, low- or moderate-income persons.

          9.HCD shall review each use of funds for compliance.

          With respect to individual exceptions, the following  
            conditions also apply, among others:

          1.The agency does not have an indebtedness to its L&M fund.

          2.The agency is not subject to sanctions for failure to  
            expand or encumber  housing fund excess surplus.

          3.The city in which the development will occur has approved  
            the agency's use of funds.







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          4.The aggregate number of units assisted shall include at  
            least 10 percent that are affordable to extremely low  
            income households and 40 percent that are affordable to  
            very low income households.

          5.The agency must make a finding that no other reasonable  
            means of financing the housing is available in sufficient  
            amount.

          6.The agency shall transfer more than 50 percent of its L&M  
            funds.

          This bill allows any redevelopment agency within San Mateo  
          County to participate in a joint powers authority for the  
          purpose of pooling L&M funds subject to the following  
          conditions:

           Eligibility to Participate
           
          1.The host jurisdiction of the agency must have a housing  
            element that is current and that has been certified by  
            HCD.

          2.The host jurisdiction has met 40 percent of its regional  
            housing need for low and very low income households in  
            the current or previous housing element cycle.

          3.The agency must not owe money to its L&M fund.

          4.The agency must have met its replacement housing  
            obligation or contractually committed funds to meet those  
            obligations.

           Transfer of Funds

           1.No more than 25 percent of the agency's L&M funds may be  
            transferred to the JPA.

          2.Each participating agency must hold a public hearing at  
            least 45 days prior to the transfer of L&M funds to the  
            JPA.

           Expenditure of Funds by the JPA







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           1.Funds must be used within the territorial jurisdiction of  
            a participating agency in San Mateo County on property  
            provided by the San Mateo County Transit Authority and  
            located within one-third mile of the Peninsula Corridor  
            Joint Powers Authority right-of-way.

          2.Funds may only be used for the direct costs constructing,  
            substantially rehabilitating, or preserving the  
            affordability of low and very low income housing.

          3.Funds may not be used for planning and administrative  
            costs, offsite improvements, or fees or exactions levied  
            solely on funded project.
          4.Funds may  not be used to construct a development in a  
            census tract that has more than 50 percent of its  
            population comprised of racial minorities or low-income  
            families.

          5.HCD must verify each proposed use of funds to ensure  
            compliance with the provisions of this bill.

          6.The JPA must expend or encumber and transferred within  
            two years.  If not, the funds are returned to the donor  
            agency and deemed excess surplus.

          7.The JPA must submit an annual report to HCD documenting  
            funds received and funds allocated or expended.

          8.The JPA is subject to the replacement housing  
            requirements, relocation requirements, and all other  
            provisions that would otherwise apply to the use of L&M  
            funds by the agency directly.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Bogh,  
            Calderon, Campbell, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez, Chu,  
            Cogdill, Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz,  
            Dutra, Dutton, Dymally, Firebaugh, Frommer, Garcia,  
            Goldberg, Hancock, Harman, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton,  
            Houston, Jackson, Keene, Kehoe, Koretz, La Malfa, La  







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            Suer, Laird, Leno, Leslie, Levine, Lieber, Liu,  
            Longville, Lowenthal, Maddox, Maldonado, Matthews, Maze,  
            McCarthy, Montanez, Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nakano,  
            Nation, Negrete McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Pacheco, Parra,  
            Pavley, Plescia, Reyes, Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Runner,  
            Salinas, Samuelian, Simitian, Spitzer, Steinberg,  
            Strickland, Vargas, Wiggins, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Haynes, Wesson


          NC:cm  6/29/04   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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