As we celebrate this significant policy milestone, we appreciate how our industry, with the unwavering support of our members, can make progress towards solving California's housing policy crisis. Together, we are making a positive impact and shaping a brighter future for our industry.

 Thank you, TEAM BIASC, for your dedication and this remarkable achievement.

"The housing crisis in California affects residents of all races and ethnicities, but the lack of affordable housing is particularly acute for African Americans and Latinos. Skyrocketing rents in many California metro areas impose growing financial burdens, limiting opportunities for savings. In 2019, the Latino homeownership rate stood at 44.1%, or 19.2 points below that of white households. The Black homeownership rate was even more worrisome at 36.8%, or 26.4 points below the rate for white households. Because home equity makes up the majority of wealth for low-and middle-income families, gaps in homeownership rates magnify wealth inequality. As housing prices continue to rise quickly in the aftermath of the pandemic, there is concern that these inequities may grow, leaving many—especially younger, lower-income, and nonwhite Californians—without the meaningful opportunity to own a home."

Addressing these concerns will help ensure the GreenPrint tool is not used to obstruct the construction of desperately needed new home communities and widen the housing and income inequality gap. As noted in a report by the Public Policy Institute of California:

The BIA Southern California remains committed to working with the Regional Council and every member city to address the chronic housing shortage in the SCAG region. We look forward to working with you to ensure we also address the critical transportation and infrastructure priorities needs for our growing population. Thank you.

"On behalf of the Building Industry Association of Southern California I would like to express our appreciation to the SCAG Regional Council and staff for your prior action to establish the Greenprint Technical Advisory Committee (GTAC) which provided a transparent and collaborative process to discuss issues of concern. Thank you to each of the GTAC members for their time and dedication to this significant effort. We support the Recommended Action in the staff report. In particular, we agree with the GTAC recommendations that that the Greenprint feature a disclaimer in a “pop-up” screen which will prevent the data employed in the Greenprint from being “weaponized” under the California Environmental Quality Act and similar statutory and regulatory processes. Likewise, we believe clarifying the Data Selection Standard - A4 - will help ensure a prudent approach concerning the use of data for the GreenPrint Tool. "

Our Chief Policy Officer, Carlos Rodriguez, voiced our appreciation and support for the SCAG Regional Council's decision at this week's public hearing:

Adopting these planning standards is a critical step forward in protecting local control over land use, thereby preventing the potential for the GreenPrint to be misused in ways that could hinder the development of new housing communities and exacerbate the housing and income inequality gap. Click HERE for more info.

Background

We are excited to share a monumental victory with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council unanimously voted 52-0 in favor of adopting BIASC's SoCal revised GreenPrint policy.

This four-year effort has been the top advocacy priority for our organization, with persistent negotiation and collaboration with SCAG and our business coalitions. The originally drafted GreenPrint policy would have severely delayed and or stopped housing production in the Southern California region.

• Greg McWilliams, Board member
• Tom Grable, Board member
• Bill McReynolds, Board member
• Dave Bartlett, Board member
• Jennifer Hernandez, Board member, and Special Counsel
• Carlos Rodriguez, Chief Policy Officer
• Adam Wood, VP Orange County Chapter & BILD Chief Administrator
• Andy Henderson, Legal Counsel
• Rich Lambros, Southern California Leadership Council
• Lou Monville, Riverside VP
• DeAndre Valencia, LA VP

When you submit the form, we'll send a note of thanks to your BIASC leadership team: