Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D – Fullerton) announced that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1308 into law. This legislation, aimed at streamlining housing development, removes the obstacles homeowners face when seeking to remodel, renovate, or add on to their single-family residences.
“Under current regulations, homeowners can be forced to add two covered parking spaces for any remodel, update, or add-on, even if they do not own additional cars, costing upwards of $25,000 and using valuable land space. This creates an inequity for homeowners seeking to make additions that do not increase parking demand,” said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva. “AB 1308 provides flexibility for property owners to decide their parking needs and affordability, rather than a mandatory “one-size-fits-all” approach.”
California’s Planning and Zoning Law has traditionally allowed local authorities to establish rules and regulations for land use, contributing to the disparities in housing development across the state. With nearly two-thirds of all residences being single-family homes, AB 1308 addresses this issue by simplifying the process of improving single-family homes, eliminating bureaucratic hurdles, and promoting equitable housing development throughout the state, provided that the project does not cause the residence to exceed a floor-to-area ratio restriction. This change aligns the parking regulations for home improvements with those mandated by state law for Accessory Dwelling Units, ensuring consistency and fairness in the development process.
“Parking requirements should not increase simply because a homeowner remodels their home,” said assemblymember Laura Friedman (D – Burbank). “Renovations can be stressful enough; they should not be made even more burdensome by additional imposed requirements.”
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the Orange County communities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, and La Palma, as well as the Los Angeles County communities of Artesia, Cerritos, and Hawaiian Gardens.
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Categories: Local Government, Local News
If they REALLY want to go further, they should introduce Georgist tax policies on properties throughout the state. This will remedy the vacant business lot usages.
Kudos to Phil M! I had never heard of Henry George’s LVT. I just read about it in an online American Affairs issue from 2018. We ought to send him along with Ms. Quirk-Silva to accomplish some heavy lifting in D.C.
Matt Leslie- I was thinking primarily of a family room or extra bedroom not adding vehicles. However, I do see your point.
Come now. I don’t know if you are being sarcastic, but Henry George has been dead for 126 years. I’m just thinking a few ideas for California’s land usage woes, since this state is taxed to death by Sac Town.
Not a big fan of Quirk-Silva because she is a bit of a raging ethnic nationalist much like her husband. Of course, loosening any regulations to let people improve their SFHs and reduce the need for building code inspectors is a good idea.
Phil M.- No sarcasm. I read your first post and had no idea what ‘Georgist’ tax policy referred to. Googled the phrase, discovered the article, and was impressed. I am neither a big fan of Quirk Silva, I know next to nothing about her. Reading that she authored a new law, keeping Sacto a little more out of our everyday business is what caught my attention.
The idea is to add dwellings for tenants who don’t want/need a vehicle. Sounds great on paper. We’d all love to be able to walk, cycle, or take public transit anywhere we need to go, but the transit and the bike infrastructure aren’t there yet. I’d love to know how they are going to ascertain that these tenants do not own vehicles that will end up being parked on the street.
You are correct. We need local transit such as electric trolleys or some other alternatives to accommodate European-styled density and local commutes.
So, more parking on the streets?
Impressive. Looks to me like we might be wise to consider switching Ms. Quirk-Silva into the Oval Office and get some other sensible things accomplished. Joe Biden could grab an Amtrak back to the 67th District and familiarize Jill and himself with the 5 freeway.