AB 2511 strengthens planning and zoning discrimination law, improves tracking of affordable housing approvals, and expedites the approval process for affordable housing developments.

“House prices in California have skyrocketed in the past few years,” Jones said. “Only 14% of Californians can afford to purchase a median-priced home. A worker earning minimum wage must work 126 hours a week to afford an average two-bedroom apartment.“

Unfortunately, California’s affordable housing construction has lagged far behind our annual need. Restrictive and complex land use regulations play an important role in hindering affordable housing construction. AB 2511 targets key housing regulations in an attempt to ease affordable housing approval and construction.

AB 2511 is sponsored by the California Association of Realtors, the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty. It is supported by over one-hundred housing, labor, senior, religious, and other organizations including California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, California Affordable Housing Institute, California Alliance of Retired Americans, Sacramento Loaves and Fishes, and the Women’s Empowerment Project, Sacramento.