BILL NUMBER: SB 377INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Beall FEBRUARY 24, 2015 An act to add Section 50466 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 377, as introduced, Beall. Accessible housing. Existing law establishes various programs under the Department of Housing and Community Development, including the California Housing Rehabilitation Program for the development of low-income and multifamily rental housing in the state. Existing law creates the Multifamily Housing Program under the department to provide a standardized set of program rules and features applicable to all housing types based on the existing California Housing Rehabilitation Program. Among other things, the program provides financial assistance to fund projects for the development and construction of new, and rehabilitation or acquisition and rehabilitation of, existing, transitional, or rental housing developments. Existing law also requires the department to establish a program for the purpose of housing assistance for the physically or developmentally disabled, or mentally disordered. The bill would require the owners and managers of multifamily housing projects that have received a department grant or loan, and that have accessible units, to adopt suitable means to ensure that information regarding the availability of accessible residential dwelling units reaches eligible individuals with disabilities, and would require the owners and managers to give priority for those units to persons with disabilities, as specified. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 50466 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 50466. In order to give priority for accessible units to persons with disabilities in multifamily housing projects that have received a Department of Housing and Community Development grant or loan, and that have accessible units, all of the following shall apply: (a) Owners and managers of these multifamily housing projects shall adopt suitable means to ensure that information regarding the availability of accessible residential dwelling units reaches eligible individuals with disabilities and take reasonable, nondiscriminatory steps to maximize the use of those units by eligible disabled individuals who require the accessibility of the particular unit. (b) When an accessible unit becomes vacant, an owner or manager shall offer the unit: (1) First, to a current occupant of another unit, within the same project or within a comparable project under common control, with a disability and who requires the accessibility feature of the vacant unit, but is occupying a unit that does not have those features, or if no such current occupant exists. (2) Second, to an eligible qualified applicant, currently on the owner's or manager's waiting list, if one exists, with a disability and who requires the accessibility features of the vacant unit. (c) After compliance with subdivision (b), if an accessible unit is offered by an owner or manager to an applicant who does not have a disability and who does not require accessibility features of the unit, the offer shall be made subject to the condition that the applicant agree to move to a nonaccessible unit if the accessible unit is needed for a person with a disability. (d) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall adopt regulations to implement this section.