California Assembly Bill AB1459 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1459AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2009 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Davis FEBRUARY 27, 2009 An act to amend Section 50675.1 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1459, as amended, Davis. Multifamily Housing Program: veterans. Existing law establishes the Multifamily Housing Program under the administration of the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide a standardized set of program rules and features applicable to all housing types based on the department's California Housing Rehabilitation Program. Existing law authorizes a sponsor of a supportive housing development, as defined, to restrict occupancy to persons with veteran status if, among other things, the development is located on property that is owned or leased by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the California Department of Veterans Affairs  and is leased to the sponsor for not less than 55 years  .  This bill would provide that a sponsor of a supportive housing development may restrict occupancy to persons with veteran status regardless of where the development is located.   This bill would delete the requirement that the development be located on property owned or leased by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the California Department of Veterans Affairs for the specified term.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 50675.1 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 50675.1. (a) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Multifamily Housing Program. (b) Assistance provided to a project pursuant to this chapter shall be provided in the form of a deferred payment loan to pay for the eligible costs of development as hereafter described. (c) Except as provided in paragraph (3), on and after January 1, 2008, of the total assistance provided under this chapter, the percentage that is awarded for units restricted to senior citizens, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 51.3 of the Civil Code, shall be proportional to the percentage of lower income renter households in the state that are lower income elderly renter households, as reported by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development on the basis of the most recent decennial census conducted by the United States Census Bureau. (1) The department shall be deemed to have met its obligation under this subdivision if the assistance awarded is not less than 1 percent below the proportional share. (2) This subdivision does not require the department to provide loans to projects that fail to meet minimum threshold requirements under subdivision (b) of Section 50675.7. (3) Assistance for projects meeting the definitions in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 11139.3 of the Government Code and subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 53260 shall be excluded from the total assistance calculation under this subdivision. (4) The department shall determine the time period over which it will measure compliance with this section, but that period shall not be less than one year or two funding cycles, whichever period is longer. (5) If, at the end of the time period determined by the department, the total amount of funding for which sponsors have submitted qualified applications is lower than the proportional share, the department may award the remaining funds to units that are not restricted to senior citizens. (6) The department's annual report to the Legislature submitted under Section 50408 shall include a breakdown of funding awards between units restricted to senior citizens and units that are not age-restricted. (d) This chapter shall be administered by the department and the department shall establish the terms upon which loans may be made consistent with the provisions of this chapter. (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the sponsor of a supportive housing development, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 50675.14, may restrict occupancy to persons with  veteran status.   veteran status, if all the following conditions apply:   (1) The veterans shall possess significant barriers to social reintegration and employment that require specialized treatment and services that are due to a physical or mental disability, substance abuse, or the effects of long-term homelessness.   (2) The veterans are otherwise eligible to reside in an assisted unit.   (3) The sponsor also provides, or assists in providing, the specialized treatment and services.