State senators pitch $1-billion housing budget

SACRAMENTO WATCH

SACRAMENTO — A group of California’s Democratic state senators wants to nearly triple Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed spending for low-income and homeless housing.

The plan would put $1 billion of the state’s projected $8.8-billion tax windfall toward financing lowincome housing projects, supporting local efforts to provide rental assistance and shelters for homeless residents, and funding other programs. By comparison, Brown proposed $359 million for homelessness programs in his revised budget unveiled last week.

“We cannot hold our heads up high as we walk down the streets in our communities and in effect step over folks that are sleeping in doorways or that are living in tent encampments,” said Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), one of the plan’s authors. “We can do better. We will do better.”

The senators’ $1-billion budget request is part of a larger plan that would allocate $5 billion toward similar programs over the next four years. The money would help build or preserve an estimated 8,500 homes for low-income residents annually.

Still, even if the measure is successful and combined with $6 billion in additional funding that voters could approve in November, the efforts would result in far less housing than what’s needed to aid the poorest Californians. Currently, 1.7 million California households pay more than half of their incomes on rent.

The senators’ plan comes at the start of budget negotiations. Assembly Democrats are expected to release their own affordable housing proposal as well in coming days. Brown and the Legislature face a June 15 deadline to pass next year’s budget.