State of California’s May 2024 Budget Adjustment
May 13, 2024 By Dawna Morse, Associate The January 2024 Governor’s Budget totaled $300 billion to address a $37.9 billion shortfall resulting from misaligned revenues and increased expenditures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget aimed to maintain service levels across essential public sectors, including healthcare and education. However, Governor Newsom’s recent announcement of the […]
Enforcing the Tenant Protection Act – What does this mean for local jurisdictions?
March 18, 2024 As of April 1, 2024, Senate Bill 567 (SB 567) is in full swing, empowering local jurisdictions to take swift action against rental property owners violating the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482). AB 1482, enacted in 2019, set a statewide rent cap at 5%, with a maximum of 10% when […]
Exploring Tenant Protections or Rent Stabilization Solutions?
February 29, 2024 As the affordability gap in California continues to widen, jurisdictions are actively seeking innovative ways to preserve and create housing. Across the state, many local governments are enhancing their tenant protection and rent stabilization ordinances to surpass state requirements. In the face of this pressing housing crisis, the debate between tenant and […]
Solana Beach Residential Relocation
February 16, 2024 By Alex Lawrence, Senior Associate Jurisdictions are faced with larger than ever RHNA requirements and many are running out of vacant land to construct affordable housing to meet the needs of the community. As a result, the need to redevelop properties with existing tenants is increasing and while displacement is a sensitive […]
Assessing the Impact of Fresno’s Eviction Protection Program
January 24, 2024 In partnership with the City of Fresno, RSG conducted a comprehensive assessment and prepared a report that showcases the City’s Eviction Protection Program’s successes, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. On May 13, 2021, the City of Fresno took a significant step by adopting an Eviction Protection Program (“EPP”) to safeguard tenants facing […]
Governor Signs Major Reforms to Surplus Land Act Making Disposition More Efficient for Public Agencies
October 12, 2023 By Jim Simon, Principal, Mark Sawicki, Director, and Alex Lawrence, Senior Associate This week, Governor Newsom signed two important pieces of Legislation impacting the Surplus Land Act: Assembly Bill 480 (Ting) and Senate Bill 747 (Caballero). Together, both bills make significant changes to the Surplus Land Act (Government Code 54220-54234). As we […]
Compliance Monitoring: Tool for Community Involvement & City Learning
By Brice Wildemuth, Analyst August 16, 2023 Compliance monitoring of affordable housing units involves the engagement of jurisdiction staff or designated representatives who undertake site visits to ensure strict adherence to city Affordability Agreements based on Housing and Community Development, Tax Credit Allocation Committee, HOME, Density Bonus, or Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund regulations. […]
The Surplus Land Act: Help or Hindrance for Cities Pursuing Community Development?
July 25, 2023 By Mark Sawicki, Director The original purpose of the Surplus Land Act (“SLA”) was to provide affordable housing developers with notification and opportunity to acquire land from cities and districts where the local agency had no use for the land. Three years ago, the SLA was amended to restrict the definition of […]
Intro to Community Benefits: Cities and Developers
May 10, 2023 By: Jenny Benitez, Analyst The Purpose of Community Benefits Programs Community benefits programs facilitate an exchange between cities and developers. Cities grant development entitlements to a project in return for specific amenities provided by the developer for the local community. When implemented well, community benefits programs and agreements lead to mutually beneficial […]
Sentiments of an RSG Consultant: 2023 Housing CA Conference Recap
April 26, 2023 By Ethan Azad, Research Assistant Last month, alongside several of my teammates at RSG, I attended the 2023 Housing California Conference, the state’s largest housing conference that brings together people engaged in all aspects of the housing industry. Affordable housing developers; supportive service providers; construction firms; architects; private and public sector lenders; […]