September 1, 2022
California Federation of Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the CFRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Elaine Freeman,
Theresa Speake, and Lou Ann Flaherty
Please share this info in your club newsletters/websites. Comments/Questions: E-mail: legislativeanalysts@cfrw.org
By the time you receive this Capitol Update, the deadline for bills to get to the Governor’s desk will have passed. Future updates will include reports on those bills that became law and those that were vetoed.
SB-1183 – Statewide Imagination Library Program – This bill will establish the Statewide Imagination Library Program under the State Librarian for purposes of encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning.
The program will provide age-appropriate books at no cost on a monthly basis to each child registered in the program, from birth to their 5th birthday. A fund will be created in the State Treasury which shall be known as the Imagination Library of California Fund.
The fund will allocate funds to qualified local entities that agree to a dollar-for-dollar match for purposes of the program to include the recruitment of volunteers to assist in the development, promotion and coordination of the programs, administer the local match requirement, and coordinate the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing.
SCA-2 Public Housing Projects – The California Constitution prohibits the development, construction, or acquisition of a low-rent housing project, as defined, in any manner by any state public body until a majority of the qualified electors of the city, town or county in which the development, construction or acquisition of the low-rent housing project is proposed approve the project by voting in favor at an election.
* THIS MEASURE WOULD REPEAL THESE PROVISIONS and would appear on the ballot in 2024.
SB-6– Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, would deem a housing development project, an allowable use on a parcel that is within a zone where office, retail, or parking are a principally permitted use, if specified conditions are met including requirements relating to density, public notice, comment hearing, or other procedures, site location and size, consistency with sustainable community strategy or alternate plans, prevailing wage and a skilled and trained workforce.
The bill would authorize an interested party, including a labor organization that represents workers in the geographic area of the project to bring an actionfor injunctive relief against a developer or prime contractor that proceeds with a project in violation of specified bidding requirements.
* This is a union backed bill.
The bill would authorize a local agency to exempt a parcel from provisions in its land use element of the general plan if the local agency makes written findings supported by substantial evidence that the local agency currently reallocated the lost residential density to other lots so that there is not net loss in residential density in the jurisdiction.
The bill would specify that it does not alter or affect the application of any housing, environmental, or labor law applicable to a housing development authorized by these provisions, including but not limited to the California Coastal Act, the California Environmental Quality Act, the Housing Accountability Act, obligation to affirmatively further fair housing and any state or local affordability laws or tenant protection laws.
The bill would provide that for purposes of the Housing Accountability Act, a proposed housing development project is consistent, compliant, and in conformity with an applicable plan, program, policy, ordinance, standard, requirement, or other similar provision. Local plans are not applicable, therefore taking away local control.
For further information on any of the bills mentioned here, click on the bill # highlighted in the body of the above articles.
Find/contact your local Legislators, click HERE to inquire about or let them know your opinion about bills or issues.
To contact your U.S. Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard at
(202) 224-3121
Listen to hearings on bills that interest you -Senate- click HERE; Assembly click HERE.
Legislative Portal links- Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RWF or CFRW)- click HERE, or the bill’s author- click HERE, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page
labeled “Comments to Author”
