california senate - housing
SB-15 (2021-2022)
Housing development: incentives: rezoning of idle retail sites.
District 25 Senator Member Anthony Portantino
Purpose
- Administer a program to provide incentives in the form of grants allocated as provided to local governments that rezone idle sites used for a big box retailer or a commercial shopping center to instead allow the development of housing.
Status
Position
- Recommended Position: Oppose
- As someone who has worked with dozens of community members in South Los Angeles while investing in the community, I believe many of us have been pushed out and no longer operate in the city.
It's great they may have these union level jobs, when we developed, we hired from the neighborhoods, educated the community members in cross sector trades, while promoting the viability of the entrepreneurial spirit. These included engineering, the development of the property, the purchase of the property, and understanding various levels of investment.
Whereas some of these workforce agreements, they only have a restricted availability to learn a few trades rather than the concept of developing a full project. As that opportunity diminishes more and more, this is the type of legislation that truly finishes off the potential opportunity for it.
While we agree this could be a huge opportunity, it is my belief based on my own personal experience from hiring from the community, if it is prevailing wage, you are going to significantly push up the cost of housing and significantly reduce the opportunities for those community based startups and investors.
Read the bill. Click Here