California lawmakers are proposing changes to laws on rent control, local zoning, property taxes, including a homeowner bill of rights, to help ease the state's housing crisis.
Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a housing package to fund affordable housing projects and to make local governments approve housing developments more quickly. “Last year we passed a historic housing package, but it was just the beginning,” Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco told The East Bay Times, adding, “Given that it took decades to create the housing crisis that we’re in, it’s going to take years of policy making and housing creation to get us out.”
Senate Democrats have also proposed a work-around for the recent GOP tax overhaul, which set a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. A bill introduced Thursday would allow Californians to instead donate to the state, receiving a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, so they can — in theory — deduct the full amount from their federal taxes. There is no cap on deductions for charitable contributions.
