SAN DIEGO — Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez was joined by San Diego housing advocates Monday morning to announce her “Housing for All” plan. Gonzalez’s proposal looks to outlaw segregation in mixed-income housing developments and increase affordable units in California.
Gonzalez proposed two bills to address the state’s housing crisis. The San Diego assemblywoman who represents the 80th assembly district said the two bills are inspired by the “good and the bad” in local housing developments.
The first bill, AB 2344, would stop California developers from creating segregated common spaces and separate entrances, sometimes referred to as a “poor door,” for residents in mixed-income developments giving all tenants access to the same amenities. The measure comes after a recent proposal for the Pinnacle Pacific Heights complex in San Diego which would have prohibited low-income renters from having access to a roof deck or a pool located on the “market-rate side.”
Gonzalez’s other bill, AB 2345, looks to update California's Density Bonus law and provide enhancements already in place in San Diego across the state. The city of San Diego enhanced its density bonus program in 2016 which Gonzalez said has resulted in “substantially more applications for mixed-income developments building both market-rate and affordable homes.”
She cites the Alpha Lofts veterans housing project as an example of the city’s successful density bonus program saying the enhancements allowed the project to include four extra homes in addition to what the state bonus would have allowed.
Gonzalez was joined by Executive Director of Circulate San Diego and La Mesa City Councilmember Colin Parent, Executive Director of PANA San Diego Ramla Sahid, and Executive Director of Up for Growth Mike Kingsella to announce the two bills.