PD Editorial: A small window for lawmakers to act on housing

California lawmakers reconvene Monday with a small window to deliver on a big promise: easing the state’s housing crisis.

Before the Legislature left for its summer break, Gov. Jerry Brown and leaders of the state Assembly and Senate said they were working on legislation to “help ensure Californians won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to have a roof over their head.”

That’s a tall order.

At about $550,000, the median price for a home in California is twice the national average. A prospective buyer needs an annual income of $111,000 to qualify for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, according to the California Association of Realtors. Both numbers are even higher here in the Bay Area.

In the rental market, state figures show that 1.7 million people are paying more than half of their income for housing.

Thousands more are sleeping in their cars, couch surfing, staying in shelters or living on the streets.

Meanwhile, construction of new houses, apartments and condominiums continues to lag far behind the levels needed to meet demand - even with population growth sinking below 1 percent in six of the past seven years.

The state estimates that 180,000 new housing units are needed annually to keep prices in check, but builders have met that target just three times since 1989. As demand for housing bounced back with the economy, prices soared.

There isn’t a quick fix, and exempting Marin County from affordable housing requirements, as lawmakers did shortly before their summer recess, shouldn’t boost anyone’s confidence in their judgment or their stomach for difficult choices.

Yet there appears to be some momentum behind three bills intended to curb the cost of housing - SB 2, SB 3 and SB 35.

SB 2 would impose a fee of up to $225 on most real estate transactions other than sales of homes and commercial property. The fee would generate an estimated $200 million to $300 million a year for affordable housing projects.

SB 3 would place a $3 billion bond on the 2018 ballot for affordable housing.

SB 35 would limit environmental, planning and design reviews by cities and counties for proposed housing developments that wouldn’t exceed the number of units allowed by local zoning codes.

Brown says he won’t approve more state funding for housing without fast-track reviews for local development applications. But cities and counties are justifiably wary of ceding authority over land-use decisions to Sacramento, and their opposition helped scuttle a similar proposal last year.

Even if all three bills are approved before the Legislature adjourns for the year on Sept. 15, affordable housing will remain in short supply for the foreseeable future. Local government must help pick up the slack with steps such as easing restrictions on granny units, expediting applications and, potentially, reducing or postponing fees for residential development.

Otherwise, a shortage of housing could turn into a loss of job opportunities as businesses look for places where their employees can afford a home.