Support for Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022
RE: AB 2011 (Wicks) The Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act – SUPPORT
Dear Senate President pro Tempore Atkins:
On behalf of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County, please accept this letter in support of Assembly Bill 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, which will expand climate-friendly infill affordable housing opportunities for struggling families, seniors, workers, and veterans – while also growing a thriving, well-paid, middle-class construction workforce.While we understand the complexities surrounding AB 2011, especially in the San Diego region, we hope that you and your leadership will support AB 2011.
The YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County is dedicated to growing San Diego in the communities where we live. In addition to developing more affordable and market-rate housing to increase the supply of housing, we believe in prioritizing infill development near transit and employment centers with the goal of increasing our housing supply, leveraging our urban environments, protecting our natural resources and advancing economic inclusion and opportunity for all.
We have been vocal advocates of SB 50, SB 9, SB 10, and other bills that attempt to ease the burden of restrictive, exclusionary zoning. We are grateful for your authorship of SB 9 and leadership on the aforementioned bills and many others.
Governor Newsom and the State Legislature have demonstrated their commitment to addressing the housing crisis in recent years, but there is still work to do to find new sites for affordable housing, accelerate production, and increase well-paying, high road construction jobs in every community. According to HCD, the state will need 180,000 new units of housing each year just to keep up with existing demand, including 80,000 units affordable to lower-income households. Yet, California averages less than 100,000 new units per year, and has never produced more than 20,000 new affordable homes in any year.
AB 2011 pairs the ability to build housing by right on underutilized commercial sites with strong labor standards that ensure all construction workers earn prevailing wages and receive health benefits. By opening new sites to housing, AB 2011 would rapidly accelerate housing production at all income levels – particularly for lower income Californians. Because the development would occur in areas zoned for commercial use, the bill will preserve the density or character of existing residential neighborhoods. These sites would be required to be in infill locations, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet our climate goals.
AB 2011 strikes the right balance, giving builders access to new sites for housing development, while also providing high wages and health care benefits to the construction workforce we need. For these reasons, we respectfully request your support of AB 2011. Thank you for your leadership on this important issue.
Signed,
The Executive Board of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County
