Support for SB 423: Streamlining Housing Approvals

Read the policy letter in pdf form here.

Dear Senator Wiener,

On behalf of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County, please accept this letter in support of Senate Bill 423, which removes the January 1, 2026 sunset provisions of SB 35 (Wiener, 2017). 

The YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County is dedicated to growing San Diego in the communities where we live. In addition to developing more affordable and market-rate housing to increase the supply of housing, we believe in prioritizing infill development near transit and employment centers with the goal of increasing our housing supply, leveraging our urban environments, protecting our natural resources and advancing economic inclusion and opportunity for all.

SB 423 would continue to authorize streamlined, ministerial approval process for infill developments in local jurisdictions that have failed to meet their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals or adopt a compliant housing element, provided that the development is located on a site that is both, urban infill and zoned for residential or mixed-use.

As our state continues to grapple with a housing crisis it would be unconscionable to allow a statutory tool, proven to increase housing production, to lapse. SB 423 is a straightforward solution that will remove the sunset date indefinitely to permit streamlining for both 100% subsidized affordable housing and mixed-income housing that sets aside units for lower-income residents. Additionally, SB 423 will remove the current coastal zone exemption in SB 35, which will ensure the housing that is desperately needed in these jurisdictions is built and that Californians are not priced out of living in coastal communities.

Signed,

The Executive Board of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County