SB 50’s failure exposes California Democrats’ ineptitude on affordable housing crisis

Do California’s elected leaders truly want to fix California’s housing crisis? It doesn’t seem like it, given the failure of Senate Bill 50, which fell three votes shy of passing last night. The bill lost a floor vote 18-15. Oddly, six senators abstained, apparently refusing to pick sides on a major bill to address the most important issues facing the state: housing and homelessness.

The ambitious and controversial bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would spur California’s cities to build more housing, increasing affordability by increasing supply.

“His proposal would require local governments to build more housing, specifically around transit- and jobs-rich areas,” wrote Sacramento Bee reporter Hannah Wiley. “Cities would have to zone for taller buildings and multifamily homes like duplexes and fourplexes. It takes aim at local governments that place bureaucratic barriers to new constructions.”

In the throes of a housing crisis of apocalyptic proportions, building more housing seems like a sensible thing to do. Not so fast in 21st century California.

While no city wants to see an increase in homelessness, not everyone wants to see more housing. Some local governments bristled at the idea of being forced to build taller, denser housing near transit. Some social justice groups objected that it didn’t do enough to make sure new buildings are affordable for Californians struggling to make ends meet.

To his credit, Wiener made significant changes to appease critics. He inserted flexibility for local governments to decide how they meet their increased housing goals. He also amended the bill to protect lower-income renters from displacement by requiring that a percentage of certain housing developments be reserved for affordable units.

Wiener’s changes increased the groundswell of support for the bill, which has backing from a broad coalition of business, environmental and affordable housing groups. It’s not always easy to get these factions to agree, but they pulled together behind SB 50 in response to California’s housing and homelessness crisis.

Unfortunately, the bill’s opponents were able to muster enough no votes to tank the bill in the state Senate. Those voting no included state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, whose district includes parts of Yolo County and part of Sacramento County. Thankfully, state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, voted yes.

Every senator who voted against SB 50 should be considered responsible for the misery that has become an all-too-common sight in California’s cities. Legislators who killed Wiener’s bill should now consider it their responsibility to come up with bold solutions to expand the supply of housing in California.

Now would be a good time for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who told Los Angeles Times reporter Liam Dillon that the state Senate’s vote would provide “new clarity,” to step up and do something. He promised to build 3.5 million new units of housing by 2025, but that won’t happen without a bill like SB 50.

SB 50 has one more chance at passing the state Senate today. Then it’s dead for good. Hopefully, Wiener can find three votes to keep the bill alive – and keep the issue on the front burner in the California State Legislature. We hope state Sen. Dodd will come to his senses and vote yes. Those senators cowering on the sidelines and refusing to vote either way would do well to remember that “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.” They include Democratic Sens. Bob Archuleta, Steven Bradford and Tom Umberg.

After all, SB 50 would still face an uncertain fate in the Assembly.

A crisis of this magnitude requires bold action. Wiener deserves credit for his hard work on this. Too bad some of his fellow Democrats refuse to join the fray. In 2020, California’s leaders must move aggressively to solve the housing crisis. If they refuse, perhaps it will be time to replace the Democratic Party’s donkey with a new mascot: a tent.

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 9:30 AM.