Assembly Members Daly and Quirk-Silva introduced AB 448 to promote a regional approach to reducing homelessness.  Specifically, this legislation will allow Orange County cities, the County of Orange, local businesses and philanthropists to pool their resources to pay for construction of “supportive housing” units.  The new agency will be called the Orange County Housing Trust.  The establishment of a single city/county entity will bring focus to the opportunities to address the issues of homelessness and housing affordability through a single purpose, Joint Powers Authority agreement.

AB 448 supports an initiative, led by the Association of California Cities–Orange County (ACC-OC) to establish a regional public-private partnership to help homeless individuals transition off the streets and into stable housing.  Utilizing a Housing Trust to receive and pursue state funding ensures a better chance for Orange County to capture a fair share of available dollars, while reducing unnecessary competition between the cities.  Additionally the Orange County Housing Trust will have the ability to receive both public and private funding, the ability to bond against those funds and service debt.  Most importantly, it will accomplish these critical functions without acting as a regulator of land use or as an owner/operator of housing units, therefore preserving local control. 

Last week, AB 448 passed out of the Assembly Local Government Committee on an 8-0 vote.  This was the last policy committee that AB 448 was scheduled to be heard in, and the bill now heads to the assembly floor for a final vote and then on to the Governor. 

None. 

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Authorize the Mayor to sign the attached letter to the Governor supporting Assembly Bill 448 (Daly) to establish the Orange County Housing Trust.