City of Cotati Urges Gov. Newsom To Sign Affordable Housing Bill

COTATI, CA -- The City of Cotati is urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill passed by the state Legislature that would give funding to local governments to help them pay to house low income and homeless families.

Senate Bill 5, also known as the Affordable Housing and Community Development Investment Program (Beall, McGuire, Portantino), would establish a partnership between the state government and cities and counties to provide ongoing, sustainable funding to subsidize affordable housing in the City of Cotati and communities throughout the state. Cotati officials say the legislation will go a long way in helping cities address their affordable housing and homeless crises.

SB 5 would establish a new, state-backed financing program that provides cities and counties resources to subsidize affordable housing, invest in infrastructure needed to support housing, and invest in housing near job centers. SB 5 commits $200 million in funding annually to cities and counties beginning in 2020, eventually capping at $2 billion annually.

“SB 5 is the only piece of legislation this year that will directly result in affordable housing being built right away,” Cotati Mayor John Dell’Osso said in a statement. “We’re struggling to build the housing we need in Cotati to help lower-income families and those facing homelessness. SB 5 will provide us needed resources to house those most in need.”

The legislation would create a statewide oversight body to approve or reject all projects proposed by local governments. Additionally, cities and counties must submit annual reports to the Legislature. It also creates an annual cap on funds available, and the Legislature could suspend funding for new plans during fiscal downturns. Lastly, SB 5 provides state resources to ensure funding for schools and community colleges are not impacted.

The governor has not yet indicated whether he intends to sign the bill into law.