California lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to expand a housing law that has led to the construction of thousands of new homes, despite initial opposition from both labor unions and environmental groups.

Senate Bill 423 would extend for 10 years a state housing law that expires in 2026, allowing developers to skip much of the bureaucratic process often blamed for blocking construction of multifamily projects, albeit only in cities that are lagging behind. affected by achieving the housing targets imposed by the state. The legislation now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who worked until October. 14 to sign or veto hundreds of bills.

“If you are looking for an opportunity to support housing in your community, I can assure you that this is the most impactful vote you will have this year, period,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat of Oakland and chair of the Housing and That Community Development Commission said Thursday before a vote in its chamber. “This is the most important housing bill we’re going to put on the governor’s desk.”

A California housing law has created thousands of new homes, the report says. Why that’s not enough

The General Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 52-8, and the Senate finalized it by a vote of 27-7.

When Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 423 in February, it faced fierce opposition from some of the state’s most influential labor unions, including the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, an organization that has aggressively and successfully opposed housing proposals that did not provide strong worker protections.

Although SB 423 requires housing developers to provide union-level wages and certain health care benefits, the Trades Council and dozens of local and state labor groups raised concerns that the protections were inadequate and would fail to protect construction workers.

Wiener addressed those concerns earlier this year with amendments that strengthened labor rules for certain projects, easing some opposition. Wiener got help from the California Conference of Carpenters, which made an unusual break with other unions statewide to sponsor SB 423.

Without a doubt, housing affordability is the most destabilizing issue Californians face. Working families, struggling from paycheck to paycheck, are staring homelessness in the face,” Daniel Curtin, executive director of the California Conference of Carpenters, wrote in a statement. “We look forward to making the case with Governor Newsom for his signature these years. important housing legislation. We are proud to have played a role in this. Other roadblocks included opposition from environmental groups, who raised issues with parts of the bill that would allow construction in certain coastal and wildfire areas. The California Coastal Commission this summer argued against expanding SB 423 to coastal areas that were exempt from development under the original law. The committee discussed that more development on the coast would be possible

climate outcomes are deteriorating due to sea level rise and a changing environment

. Areas that could see new multifamily housing under SB 423 include wealthier coastal cities such as Carmel-by-the-Sea and Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice, western San Francisco and San Diego.

“I support affordable housing,” Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) said during the Assembly debate. “But not at the expense of California’s iconic coastline, and not at the expense of protecting Californians from wildfires.”

California churches and nonprofit colleges would be able to build homes on their land under proposed legislation

Wiener accepted minor amendments to the bill to clarify that it would not apply to areas that are “ecologically sensitive or hazardous, such as areas that could be affected by sea level rise.” Dozens of cities still oppose SB 423, including several in Los Angeles County and other coastal cities in Southern California. Some of their concerns extend beyond environmental impacts to local control over housing decisions in their communities.

The League of California Cities, which lobbies on behalf of hundreds of local governments at the Capitol, is particularly concerned about a provision of SB 423 that would allow the California Department of General Services to step in and develop housing on state-owned properties in local jurisdictions. . “And they’re not required to follow a lot of rules at the local level like all other developers,” said Jason Rhine, a lobbyist for Cal Cities.

A recent report from the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation found that the 2017 law contributed to more than 18,000 proposed new units in California, nearly two-thirds of which are considered 100% affordable. It’s a small dent in a state that needs to build 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years, with at least 1 million set aside for low- to very low-income households.

Still, housing experts say it’s an important step toward easing the housing shortage

helped fuel a homelessness crisis and made California a nearly impossible place for middle- and low-income residents to find affordable housing. A housing bill in California has created thousands of new homes, the report says. Why that’s not enough

Senate Bill 423 helps build on a “success story,” said Ray Pearl, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, one of the measure’s sponsors.

“There’s no silver bullet. There’s no bill that’s going to fix this,” Pearl said. “But each bill will hopefully make a dent, point us in the right direction and prioritize the production of affordable housing.”

The Senate on Monday easily approved another major housing proposal, also from Wiener, that would allow nonprofit colleges and faith-based organizations such as mosques, synagogues and churches to quickly build affordable housing on their properties. That measure, Senate Bill 4, is expected to free up about 171,000 acres of land for the development of affordable housing projects, according to another report from the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation.

Passage of SB 4 and 423 will add powerful tools to our arsenal in the fight against the housing crisis, Wiener said in a statement after the votes. “Californians overwhelmingly want these homes built, which is why both bills passed by wide margins, with bipartisan support.