2024 Legislation

Policy Framework

For the 2024 legislative session, California YIMBY’s sponsored and high-priority legislation fits into one of three priority areas. These policy priorities guide our decisions about which bills we work on, including those we sponsor and those we categorize as high-priority. Our list of sponsored and high-priority bills is below, and evolves over the course of the session. 

Our 2024 policy priorities framework includes focus on legislation that will promote:

• Bending the cost curve: Despite previous zoning reforms, the exorbitant cost of construction in California remains a formidable barrier to housing production. One significant factor driving these costs is the imposition of high, often opaque impact fees, which ultimately burden both renters and home buyers alike. Our 2024 agenda includes legislation aimed at providing fee relief during a project’s construction phase and enhancing transparency around local impact fees.
• Refining and expanding housing production laws: Many of our bedrock housing laws are beginning to make a difference, but with time we have listened to our implementation partners and recognize that these policies can be streamlined and strengthened to ensure they deliver on the promise of more homes for Californians – at all income levels. Our legislative activities in this area will focus on updating critical, pro-housing laws. We’re also looking to broaden our legislative efforts to address challenges in the historic district designation process, which at times can obstruct the development of affordable and inclusive housing.
• New pathways to homeownership: Homeownership is a critical component to helping families achieve financial security and create generational wealth, yet it remains out of reach for too many Californians, especially communities of color. Our legislative activities in this area will focus on creating new pathways and easing existing barriers to homeownership for the vast majority of working Californians, many of whom earn a good salary, but who are shut out of homeownership by the housing shortage and resulting high home prices. 
• Keep momentum on ADUs: The YIMBY movement’s advocacy for ADU legalization has led to a construction surge, making ADUs a significant portion of the newly developed housing in numerous cities. The triumph of ADU legalization stands as a prime example for future urban planning and housing reforms in California and offers a blueprint for other states grappling with housing shortages. California should keep the momentum on ADU reform by making it easier to build ADUs in multifamily properties and in the Coastal Zone.