Salvaging California housing crisis bills + Mail-in voting worries + Artists endorse police bills

By Hannah Wiley and Andrew Sheeler

August 13, 2020 4:55 AM

New homes under construction along Sproul Court in Merced, Calif. Andrew Kuhn akuhn@mercedsun-star.com

Good morning! And so another newsy week comes to a close. Let’s get into it, shall we?

To start — Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Wednesday an effort to get more poll workers signed up ahead of the Nov. 3 election, as COVID-19 keeps a traditionally older crew of workers in their homes for health reasons. You can check out if you qualify for the paid gigs at PollWorker.sos.ca.gov.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, poll workers will play a critical role in our democracy,” Padilla said. “County elections officials depend on reliable, dedicated teams of poll workers to make every Election Day run smoothly. This year, many Californians that would normally volunteer are being asked to stay home for their safety, so we need the next generation of poll workers to step-up and meet this moment. Please consider signing up to serve your community and help provide safe, secure in-person voting options—all while getting paid.”

YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME

You might remember that before COVID-19 took over legislative priorities this year, housing production and homelessness were top of the agenda in the Capitol.

That’s still true, to some extent, despite the coronavirus. Since January, when Gov. Gavin Newsom called for housing production ideas, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and a handful of Democrats have worked on passing a package intended to fulfill that call for policy change.

The five bills were marketed as the Legislature’s best opportunity to finally get much-needed construction in a state long plagued by underproduction and affordable housing woes.

Now, with weeks before the Aug. 31 end-of-session deadline, things are coming together...or falling apart.

Here’s where things stand.

Wins:

Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill to let local governments pass ordinances that allow mid-sized projects of up to 10 units in transit- and jobs-rich areas and infill sites, as well as skip environmental review in the process, is on to Assembly Appropriations. YIMBY, realtors and chambers of commerce support the bill, while homeowners associations and the State Building and Construction Trades Council oppose the effort.

“With California’s serious housing shortage and the increased financial distress coming from the pandemic, we’re seeing more and more people getting priced out of our state,” Wiener said after the bill passed Tuesday. “We’re seeing essential workers commuting hours to get to work because they can’t afford to live in the cities where they’re ‘essential.’ We need to act quickly to ensure cities can build enough housing near jobs and transit in a way that works for them. SB 902 creates a new tool that will allow cities to do just that.”

Atkins’ own CEQA streamlining bill for smaller housing projects that allocate at least 15% of units as affordable is also on to Appropriations, as is her measure to encourage cities to build more duplexes.

Assembly Appropriations will also consider Berkeley Democratic Sen. Nancy Skinner’s effort to expand the state’s density bonus law for moderate income housing.

Losses:

The Assembly Committee on Local Government rejected Sen. Anna Caballero’s attempt to build residential units in or on lots zoned for commercial buildings and lots that are underused or vacant.

Caballero said she was “shocked and dismayed” by the decision after agreeing to “accept almost all” of the committee’s amendments.

“The Chair recommended a no vote and effectively blocked the bill from moving forward,” Caballero said in a statement. “Every single Californian should demand to know why the Assembly opposed the need to build affordable housing without contributing to unsustainable sprawl.”

CA DEMS VOICE CONCERNS OVER MAIL

Via Kate Irby...

California Democrats are worried about two major “wild cards” for the state’s biggest-ever mail-in voting election: changes to the U.S. Postal Service and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric.

So far, California election officials aren’t seeing the kind of postal delays that could result in voting delays even with the crush on the Postal Service in the coronavirus outbreak.

But California Secretary of State Alex Padilla wrote in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that he is “gravely concerned” about national reports of USPS slowdowns so close to Election Day and changes in delivery protocol DeJoy has implemented to cut costs.

“I oppose your proposed changes to postal service and pricing as they create unnecessary risk so close to the election and undermine the ability of state and local election officials to administer free and fair elections,” Padilla said in the letter on Monday.

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly cast doubt on California’s voting policies since Gov. Newsom in May issued a coronavirus emergency order directing election officials to send mail-in ballots to registered voters this fall.

Trump has mischaracterized the direction, falsely contending the state plans to send ballots to all residents regardless of registration.

“The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one,” Trump tweeted in May. “That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote. This will be a Rigged Election.”

It’s not the case that “anyone living in the state” will get a mail ballot. Voters have to be registered at least 15 days before Election Day in order to receive one, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.

Unlike other states preparing for a mostly mail-in election in the pandemic, California has a lot of practice.

In the 2018 general election, 65% of ballots were vote-by-mail. In the 2020 primary, which occurred In the first week of March, before the country shut down due to coronavirus concerns, 72% of ballots were vote-by-mail.

Californians also are accustomed to long waits for final voting results. In the 2018 general election, more than a few House races took days, a week or even longer to have an official call.

But worries persist that the president’s repeated criticism of mail-in ballots and media reports about changes at the postal service will make voters question whether mail-in voting can be trusted.

“The short story is that we probably don’t know right now. We should, looking historically, have a system that is already trusted and most voters are comfortable with, and have had some experience with,” said Paul Mitchell, the vice president of election data tracking firm Political Data Inc. “But these are crazy times.”

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