Dear Friends --

This is huge: Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed AB 609, our bill with Asm. Buffy Wicks that will make it easier to build environmentally-beneficial housing in our cities! The Governor included the bill in his proposed budget, which sends a powerful signal – but the bill still needs to make it through the legislature.

We need your help to ensure AB 609 passes its floor vote in the Assembly next week and moves on to the Senate.

According to climate scientists, building more "infill" housing – homes near jobs, schools, and amenities – is the number one thing most California cities can do to reduce climate pollution. It's also a critical strategy for ending our housing shortage and affordability crisis. But NIMBY abuse of the California Environmental Quality Act is blocking these types of homes in our cities – and is leading to more sprawl developments that increase traffic congestion, pollution, and transportation costs.

That doesn't make sense. We must ensure that CEQA helps solve our housing shortage and tackle the climate crisis. We're co-sponsoring AB 609 with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks to do just that.

On Wednesday Governor Newsom came out strongly in support of AB 609: "It's time to accelerate urban infill. It's time to exempt it from CEQA. It's time to focus on judicial streamlining. It's time to get serious about this issue. Period. Full stop."

The Governor's support is a major boost. So too was getting AB 609 to pass the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week. But the biggest test now looms: passing the entire Assembly. We expect stiff opposition to try and derail this bill. Now's the time to speak up: Will you send your Assemblymember a message urging them to vote YES on AB 609?

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AB 609 will create a streamlined permitting process for multi-family housing in existing, developed urban areas by exempting these projects from the California Environmental Quality Act.

This is a major bill – and as you might guess, we’re already seeing all-out opposition from the same forces who always work to kill new housing in existing communities.

Governor Newsom's pledge to incorporate AB 609 into the budget is a sign of just how important this bill is. But first we have to pass it out of the Assembly. Will you help build the movement to fix CEQA?

Send a message to your Assemblymember and urge them to vote YES on AB 609 today!

Thank you so much for stepping up in this urgent moment.

Matthew

Matthew Lewis
Communications Director
California YIMBY

California YIMBY is a movement dedicated to ending our state’s housing crisis and building a more inclusive, affordable, and accessible state for ALL Californians. If you were forwarded this email, you can join our movement here. DONATE NOW » Want to keep track of housing issues and the YIMBY movement? Sign up for the HomeWork, our newsletter here.

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