California Social Housing Act
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The California Social Housing Act is a proposed California bill to establish an independent statewide housing authority, known as the California Housing Authority, to acquire land for, develop, own and maintain public housing. The bill is authored by Alex Lee and was first introduced to the 2021–2022 session of the California State Legislature.[1][2][3] In the 2023–24 session, the bill was passed by the legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom on budgetary grounds. Lee re-introduced the bill in the 2025–26 session.
Multiple laws have been passed since 2010 to preempt local zoning laws and ease private developments of housing and reduce the statewide housing shortage, especially under the governorships of Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. Several of these laws contain mandates and incentives for private development of affordable or subsidized housing.
The proposal for a statewide housing authority was inspired by the models for social housing in Singapore and Vienna, Austria.[4]
Provisions
The Social Housing Act would define social housing as all housing owned by a government entity such as the California Housing Authority, a public entity or a local housing authority, and made available to a range of household incomes ranging from extremely low income to above moderate income. It would create the California Housing Authority as an independent state body tasked to acquire land for, develop, own and maintain public housing. The Authority would be headed by a Board consisting of both members appointed by selected government officials as well as members elected by residents of social housing developments. The bill would require the Authority to employ two separate leasing models - the rental model and ownership model, and would prohibit the Authority from selling
The bill would require the Authority to prioritize acquisition or re-acquisition of the following parcels:
- excess state-owned parcels
- parcels near transit
- Underutilized parcels or redevelopment of underutilized parcels with affordability covenants or rent-controlled units
- Parcels at risk of becoming unaffordable or at the end of their affordability covenants
- Parcels with affordability covenants or rent control units in danger of losing affordability status