SACRAMENTO – This week, the Assembly passed four bills pertaining to housing authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José): AB 1993, AB 2347, AB 2926, and AB 3122.
“As a result of a limited supply of housing coupled with the rising cost of living, more and more California families are being displaced or forced into financial hardship. While we have made some progress to address our state’s housing crisis, there is still much to be done to ensure people can afford to live in the communities where they work,” said Assemblymember Kalra. “This is why I have put forth these four bills that collectively will protect renters, increase housing availability, and support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our state. I am thankful for my Assembly colleagues’ support and look forward to continuing the work in the Senate.”
AB 1993 allows Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) homes to serve up to eight individuals which will unlock homes for thousands of residents, providing both housing and care for the state’s aging population. Older adults are the fastest-growing population of unhoused persons in California and those who require assistance with daily activities have an exceptionally hard time finding accommodations. The bill will help older adults remain in their communities and in proximity to their loved ones while receiving the 24-hour non-medical care they need.
AB 2347 will prevent default judgments that evict a tenant based on improper service of summons by requiring landlords to file proof of service with the court and providing tenants with a meaningful amount of time to respond. In eviction cases, because the response period for tenants is uniquely short, proper notice of a court filing is critical. Unfortunately, unscrupulous landlords and process servers claim proper service even though none occurred, known as “sewer service.” This is not only a major violation of tenants’ constitutional rights, but the result is the extreme consequence of tenants losing their homes. AB 2347 will combat sewer service and provide the necessary time for tenants to actually exercise their rights.
AB 2926 helps California protect our limited affordable housing stock by requiring owners who receive a bona fide purchase offer from a preservation buyer to either accept the offer or re-restrict the property as affordable housing. This bill also makes technical changes to the Preservation Notice Law to prevent tenants from being displaced or priced out without notice.
AB 3122 provides flexibility for a developer to better respond to market needs and take advantage of recent changes in the state density bonus law. This flexibility will help housing projects move forward and ensure we are providing the housing our cities and counties need. Post-pandemic, we are experiencing changing market trends, such as less demand for office space or rising cost of construction, leading developers to revise the project and make adjustments in order to complete the project.
Assemblymember Kalra has consistently put forth solutions to help alleviate our housing crisis and encourage compassionate and thoughtful assistance for people experiencing homelessness. In 2019, Assemblymember Kalra authored AB 1745 to extend the authority for the City of San Jose to develop emergency bridge housing communities to help the city’s homeless population transition into permanent supportive housing. Assemblymember Kalra secured $2 million in the state budget to extend the City of San Jose’s eviction diversion program, which has prevented over 100 households from forced eviction by providing targeted gap assistance to low-income households on the brink of eviction and he has secured additional funding for the city’s Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative. Additionally, he authored AB 1469 to allow Valley Water to assist unsheltered people living along streams or other areas near natural water within the district’s jurisdiction, to provide solutions or improve outcomes for the unsheltered individuals.
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Assemblymember Ash Kalra represents California’s 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas in southeast Santa Clara County. He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fourth term in 2022. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and also serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Local Government, and Natural Resources committees.