Capitol Briefs: Fast-tracking housing, exiting X and one very tall metal woman

Housing package introduced – Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a 22-bill package on Thursday aimed at reforming the building permitting process in California, an effort to fast-track housing development statewide.

Wicks called the package an effort to “slash red tape, remove uncertainty and to drastically reduce the time it takes to get new housing approved and built” in California.

She was joined by several colleagues from both the Senate and Assembly, including Assemblymember Matt Haney (D- San Francisco), the chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development, who called housing affordability “without a doubt the biggest challenge facing Californians.”

The measures in the package range from those that would create a statewide uniform application for housing projects, speed the process of getting approval from local governments, create exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and those dealing with legal rights and enforcement.

Wicks said there is no current estimate on how much the numerous proposals would impact the state’s estimated shortfall of 2.5 million needed homes should they all become law, but expressed confidence the bill would create more certainty for homebuilders and investors, thus encouraging them to move ahead with projects they now might be hesitant to pursue.

“That will help us get to ‘yes’ much more quickly on housing production…and shaves off years of the process.”

Assembly Dems exit X: Citing “serious concerns over disinformation, lack of content moderation, hate speech, and fake accounts” on X, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced on Thursday that all 57 Assembly Dems will stop communications from official state accounts on the platform. In a press release, Rivas said “Hate speech is everywhere on X, the company has no accountability, and the flood of misinformation from fake accounts is just that — fake. I don’t think taxpayer resources should go to X.” Rivas added he can still be reached on social media via the Facebook and Instagram platforms.

More bills, bills, bills: A further smattering of bill action from this week.

SB 28 – The Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously approved the proposal to implement treatment courts as demanded by California’s Proposition 36. It moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 938 – The Assembly Public Safety Committee endorsed the proposal to allow someone arrested or convicted of an offense while they were a victim of human trafficking, intimate partner violence, or sexual violence, to petition the court, under penalty of perjury, for vacatur relief. Current California law allows such vacatur only for nonviolent crimes. The measure moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 53 – The Senate Governmental Organizations Committee voted 13-0 in favor of the proposal from Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would bar employers from retaliating against employees of foundation model developers who report potential critical risks posed by the developer’s activities or any alleged false or misleading statements about risk management practices. It moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB 19 – The Senate Public Safety Committee endorsed the proposal from Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) that would, among several things, allow prosecutors to charge individuals who make credible threats of mass violence against schools and places of worship, even if they don’t name a specific person. It moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Anti-transgender athlete bills will get hearings – Hearings are set in the Assembly for two bills aimed at barring transgender athletes from competing in girls’ athletics. AB 89, authored by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita), would require the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to “amend its constitution, bylaws, and policies to prohibit a pupil whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls’ interscholastic sports team.” That proposal would apply to high school sports, while AB 844 from Assemblymember Bill Essayli (D-Corona) would impose the ban from elementary school through college. Both bills are set to be hard on April 1.

Meanwhile, in other states: Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin (R) vetoed a bill that would have created requirements for companies developing, deploying and using “high-risk” AI systems and made those companies responsible for protecting consumers from the potential bias created by using AI to make “consequential” decisions, defined as those dealing with parole or probation, school enrollment, housing, employment, health issues and insurance. And the Idaho Legislature gave final approval to a bill that would allow the death penalty for anyone convicted of sexually abusing a child age 12 or younger. It is now with Gov. Brad Little (R) for consideration.

And something light before we go: The next time you find yourself at the Embarcadero Plaza, be sure to take note of the impressively tall woman at the end of Market Street. She will be hard to miss as there are only so many 45-foot tall naked women made of solid steel. As reported by our friends at the San Francisco Chronicle, the lady in question is “R-Revolution” by sculptor Marco Cochrane. Originally created for the Burning Man festival in 2015, it will now become another beacon for art lovers in the City by the Bay.