HELP US PASS AB 1486, the PUBLIC LANDS FOR PUBLIC GOOD ACT
Why AB 1486 (Ting)?
California’s housing affordability crisis is growing, and an unknown number of public lands sit unused
when they could be providing needed affordable homes, parks, and open spaces for our communities.
AB 1486 will strengthen our current Surplus Land Act so California can more efficiently transform
unused public lands into a public good.
Redeveloping unused public land can create more affordable homes throughout the state and advance
our state’s environmental and economic goals by increasing affordable infill development near transit
and jobs. Through AB 1486, low-income families will more easily be able to find safe, stable, affordable
homes and local communities will thrive.
How will AB 1486 help address the Affordable Housing Crisis?
AB 1486 builds on and strengthens our existing Surplus Land Act, a law that has been on the books for
50 years but has suffered from spotty enforcement by increasing transparency and accountability
around surplus public land. AB 1486 will:
• Create a statewide public lands database that will shine a light on the number of statewide
public lands potentially available for the public good;
• Set a minimum amount of state public lands to be made available on an annual basis for
affordable housing;
• Incentivize affordable housing development by allowing both the affordable housing projects
and the public agencies that release the land to receive more generous state funding for
affordable homes;
• And provide enforcement through the Department of Housing and Community Development.
What’s the end result?
AB 1486 will free up tens of thousands of acres statewide to build more homes for California families.
AB 1486 is critical to ensure that the state’s existing Surplus Land Act can fulfill its intended goal to turn
unused public land back into a public good and create more affordable homes for individuals and
families in the Bay Area and across our state. AB 1486 provides a reasonable and sustainable pathway to
help alleviate California’s growing crisis.
If you have personal anecdotes of how public land has been used (or not) in your jurisdiction for
affordable housing that would be tremendously helpful for all of these meetings. I.e. Oakland,
San Jose, Hayward, etc.
Asks:
• Ask if the Assemblymember will support AB 1486
• Ask if the Assemblymember will contact Lorena Gonzalez to get the bill out of suspense
• Ask if the Assemblymember to support AB 1486