Sponsored Legislation

AB 2097

Status: Signed Into Law

Housing for People Not Cars

AB 2097 reduces the cost of housing while slashing the pollution that causes climate change by eliminating expensive parking mandates for homes and commercial buildings near transit, or in neighborhoods with low rates of car use.

Parking mandates, which require parking for cars to be included in new housing, are common in cities throughout California and can add $40,000 or more to the cost of construction per parking spot, while also increasing climate pollution.

Eliminating these costly parking mandates will give Californians more choices about whether they want to pay for parking, or have lower-cost housing in walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods.

California cities are currently over-producing parking โ€” Los Angeles alone has 200 square miles of parking โ€” largely because of rules that require the construction of parking with each new home or business, even when there is no need for additional parking. AB 2097 increases housing choice and will make it easier to provide lower-cost, walkable- and transit-accessible housing across the state.

Updates

Aug 29, 2022 Passed Senate Floor 26-9
Aug 30, 2022 Passed Assembly in a concurrence vote 52-17
Sept 22, 2022 Signed Into Law by Gov. Newsom

Authors

  • Friedman (D, AD 43)

Coauthors

  • Lee (D, AD 25)
  • Skinner (D, SD 9)
  • Wiener (D, SD 11)

Co-Sponsors

  • California YIMBY
  • San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR)
  • Abundant Housing LA
  • Council of Infill Builders

Prior version

Resources

Media

Los Angeles Times ยท September 9, 2022
Editorial: California’s backward laws prioritize housing cars over people. Let’s fix that. โ†’