A coalition of San Diego housing advocates urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that supporters say would strengthen one of California's most productive tools for building homes. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce amplified the push by reposting a September 9 call to action from Inner City Law Center asking supporters to send letters demanding Newsom's signature on Assembly Bill 2433.
The bill, authored by Assemblymember David Alvarez, was enrolled and presented to the governor's desk on Sept. 10, according to CalMatters Digital Democracy. The San Diego Regional Chamber
is among the groups that called for a signature.
AB 2433 targets California's Density Bonus Law, a decades-old streamlining statute first adopted in 1979, according to Greenbelt Alliance. The law lets developers build more units than local zoning would otherwise allow in exchange for including affordable homes, and it has become, in the words of Circulate Planning & Policy, the most widely used streamlining law in the state.
What the Bill Would Change
Under AB 2433, density-bonus waivers would have to be processed ministerially for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, per Greenbelt Alliance's account of the bill. Local governments would also be required to proactively notify project applicants when they qualify to use the Density Bonus Law, rather than leaving developers to figure out eligibility on their own.
The bill would also extend new benefits to specific kinds of projects. Circulate Planning & Policy, which is sponsoring the measure and is based in San Diego, says the legislation would let 100% affordable-housing developers access the full stacked density bonus already available under AB 1287, a 2023 law also authored by Alvarez. Greenbelt Alliance adds that the bill grants additional waivers and concessions to developments that include homeownership units.
A Law With a Track Record
Advocates point to the Density Bonus Law's recent output to make the case for AB 2433. Circulate Planning & Policy's media materials say the law was used to approve more than 140,000 homes, though the group's own publications differ on the time frame — one release cites the past four years, another cites five years, and a separate Circulate report ties the figure to the 2021-to-2024 period specifically.
Two more recent state laws expanded the tool further: AB 2345 and AB 1287.
Sponsors and the Signature Push
Beyond Circulate Planning & Policy, AB 2433 counts Inner City Law Center, SPUR, Greenbelt Alliance and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce as co-sponsors, according to Greenbelt Alliance's rundown of the bill. A letter-writing campaign called on Newsom to sign it.
For now, the fate of AB 2433 rests with the governor's office.
