Senator Atkins’ Legislation to Improve Implementation of the California HOME Act Passes Legislature

SACRAMENTO – Today, Senate Bill 450 passed out of the Legislature on a Senate concurrence vote of 28-9 and will now be sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature. This measure, authored by Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), would update provisions of her Senate Bill 9 (Chapter 162 Statutes of 2021) to make it accessible to more homeowners and ensure more effective implementation in communities throughout the state.

“Since the passage of SB 9, we have seen local jurisdictions impose overly-burdensome requirements on homeowners seeking to construct more housing in their communities with SB 9 duplexes and lot splits,” said Pro Tem Emeritus Atkins. “SB 450 will ensure that homeowners have the tools they need to build additional housing on their property, creating intergenerational wealth and providing access to more rental and ownership opportunities for Californians.”

Senate Bill 9, the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act, went into effect in January 2022. The HOME Act expanded access to housing for California’s working families by streamlining a homeowner’s ability to build a duplex or split their current residential lot, allowing for a maximum of four units on a single-family parcel.

Senate Bill 450 would update the HOME Act by:

• Requiring local governments to either approve or deny an application for a new SB 9 unit or lot split within 60 days, and require the local government to provide homeowners with a reason and remedies if their application is denied. (Aligning with current ADU law).
• Deleting unnecessary and redundant language relating to the demolition of a property and maintains key tenant protections in law.
• Requiring consistency in local objective zoning, subdivision, and design standards to prevent local governments from imposing overly burdensome requirements on units and lot splits created using SB 9.
• Making other technical changes.

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Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore Emeritus of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Emeritus Toni G. Atkins: www.senate.ca.gov/Atkins