CHC's Industry Insight
A Note from our Executive Director

All of us who work in business and advocacy know that "partnership" is a goal often expressed but unfortunately rarely practiced.  Much of the success affordable housing has had in Sacramento over the past five years can be attributed to strong collaboration between state and regional advocacy groups as well as a true partnership between CHC and Housing California.  Whether it was working on the Homes and Jobs Campaign, increasing state tax credits, cap and trade or a myriad of other issues, Shamus Roller and I worked hard to put affordable housing first and our organization's ability to claim credit second.  Today is Shamus's last day as the Executive Director of Housing California and I want to publicly thank him for his partnership over the past five years.
 
Shamus and I were able to find common ground through transparency and mutual respect.  Where we were not able to agree, we were understanding of our organization's need to go in a different direction.  Through this partnership, we helped elevate the importance of affordable housing in the minds of our legislature and elected leaders throughout California.  We also brought our organizations closer together to benefit our entire membership and the affordable housing industry as a whole.
 
With so much work still ahead to strengthen our industry and the low-income people and families we serve, I am hopeful that this spirit of collaboration and partnership will be a part of the legacy Shamus leaves with Housing California and our larger effort.  Congratulations, Shamus, on a job well done and congratulations on your new position as the Executive Director of The National Housing Law Project.

  Sincerely,
  





  Ray Pearl 
  CHC Executive Director 
In Case You Missed It...
  • The Governor's signing deadline for all bills in the 2016 legislative session was September 30. Newly elected legislators will arrive in Sacramento on December 5 to be sworn in before adjourning again for the holidays.
  • TCAC released proposed changes to their regulations. Written comments will be accepted by TCAC until October 31. 
  • HCD has released their revised proposed changes to Uniform Multifamily Regulations and is seeking additional comments from stakeholders until N ovember 14. Learn more about the changes and the comment process here.
  • VHHP proposed regulation changes have been announced. The comment period on the proposed changes to the program administered by HCD, CalVet, and CalHFA is open until October 21.
  • The affordable housing conference season is still upon us! Join our partners for their annual conferences. Find more information by following the links below:
2016 CA Political Landscape provided by Sloat Higgings Jensen

With the last class of state legislators under the old term limits departing this year, there are 17 open seats available in November. The new 12-year term limits in either house, means we may not see an open seat until 2024 unless someone jumps houses, runs for Congress, or decides not to seek reelection. In addition to the 7 or 8 competitive seats between Democrats and Republicans, California's top-two primary system means there will also be intra-party battles involving business interests, labor unions and others.

The Presidential election makes this campaign season even more interesting as it is unclear whether down ticket candidates will be affected. The nomination of Donald Trump could spell trouble for Republican candidates in the state. Especially for the 6 Republican legislators seeking reelection. Since the beginning of the year, we have seen a doubling of registration growth among Latinos, a more than 150% increase of young voters, and a near-tripling in Democratic voter registration overall. In total, from January to April of this year we have seen 1,451,555 new registrations, compared to 2012 where we saw 414,000 new registrations. All eyes will be on voter turnout in November, as high turnout usually hurts the Republican party in California. The increase in Democratic registration also varies amongst districts, so it is important to keep in mind that some districts will not be as affected by the registration surge as others.

Overall, Democrats need to pick up two Republican seats in the Assembly in order to regain their 2/3rds supermajority. There are six Republicans up for reelection in districts that are seen as competitive, as well as one open Republican seat that could also be competitive. It is likely that Democrats will be able to pick up at least two of those seats. In the Senate, Democrats need to pick up one Republican seat in order to regain their 2/3rds supermajority. Currently there are two open Republican seats that are seen as competitive. The Republican candidates in those two races are favored, but are not safe. Aside from these races, low Republican turnout in the June primary impacted numerous races for November by increasing the amount of intra-party Democratic battles, as Republican candidates in those districts failed to get into the top-2.
CHC Member Companies Win 'Homes Within Reach' Awards from SCANPH 

Congratulation to  the CHC Member Companies that won 'Homes Within Reach' awards from Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH). 

National Community Renaissance (National CORE) won an award for the Supportive Housing Project of the Year when it partnered with Union Station Homeless Services to develop Marv's Place, a 20-unit affordable housing complex in Pasadena. Marv's Place not only provides safe & affordable housing for the formerly homeless, it offers services, tools, and resources onsite that families need to end their cycle of homelessness and lead productive lives. To read more about this unique project click here.


Other CHC Members that received 'Homes Within Reach' awards include: 
  • AMCAL won the Transformative Communities award with its project Hollenbeck Terrace
  • Innovative Housing & Jamboree Housing won the Beyond LA award with their project Rockwood Apartments 
  • Abode Housing won in the Multifamily/Home Ownership Housing Project division with its project Selma Community Housing
Affordable Housing in the News

This month, the chorus of voices calling for California to take action on housing affordability grew nationwide.  The Los Angeles Times reported that economists with UCLA and UC Riverside have concluded that a dearth of worker housing will hamper the state's economy.  PBS NewsHour reported on new National Housing Coalition data showing California teachers are hard-pressed to live in the school districts where they work.  The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the Obama Administration has endorsed an approach similar to Gov. Brown's "by right" proposal to eliminate barriers to construction in its Housing Development Toolkit . 
CHC's 2016 CHC Patrons

Thank you to our 2016 renewing CHC Patrons! Your annual $5,000 support allows CHC to continue our fight for California's neediest families.
  • Affordable Housing Development Corporation
  • AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc
  • Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP
  • BRIDGE Housing Corporation
  • CA Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies
  • California Building Industry Association
  • Cohn Reznick
  • Denton US LLP
  • Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.
  • Jamboree Housing Corporation
  • Logan Property Management
  • Novogradac & Company LLP
  • Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
  • Paul Hastings LLP
  • Rabobank
  • Related Companies of California
  • San Diego Housing Commission
  • The Pacific Companies
  • USA Properties Fund
  • WNC & Associates, Inc
     
And a special thank you to renewing Silver Sponsor:


 
 
Is your CHC membership current? If you would like to join CHC or have questions on your membership, please contact Nancy Martin.  

STAY CONNECTED:
CHC is a non-partisan advocate for the production and preservation of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income Californians. We represent the development, building, financial, and public sectors united in their goal that every Californian has a safe, affordable place to call home.