BILL NUMBER: SB 377	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Beall

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2015

   An act to add Section 50466 to the Health and Safety Code,
relating to housing.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 377, as introduced, Beall. Accessible housing.
   Existing law establishes various programs under the Department of
Housing and Community Development, including the California Housing
Rehabilitation Program for the development of low-income and
multifamily rental housing in the state. Existing law creates the
Multifamily Housing Program under the department to provide a
standardized set of program rules and features applicable to all
housing types based on the existing California Housing Rehabilitation
Program. Among other things, the program provides financial
assistance to fund projects for the development and construction of
new, and rehabilitation or acquisition and rehabilitation of,
existing, transitional, or rental housing developments. Existing law
also requires the department to establish a program for the purpose
of housing assistance for the physically or developmentally disabled,
or mentally disordered.
   The bill would require the owners and managers of multifamily
housing projects that have received a department grant or loan, and
that have accessible units, to adopt suitable means to ensure that
information regarding the availability of accessible residential
dwelling units reaches eligible individuals with disabilities, and
would require the owners and managers to give priority for those
units to persons with disabilities, as specified.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 50466 is added to the Health and Safety Code,
to read:
   50466.  In order to give priority for accessible units to persons
with disabilities in multifamily housing projects that have received
a Department of Housing and Community Development grant or loan, and
that have accessible units, all of the following shall apply:
   (a) Owners and managers of these multifamily housing projects
shall adopt suitable means to ensure that information regarding the
availability of accessible residential dwelling units reaches
eligible individuals with disabilities and take reasonable,
nondiscriminatory steps to maximize the use of those units by
eligible disabled individuals who require the accessibility of the
particular unit.
   (b) When an accessible unit becomes vacant, an owner or manager
shall offer the unit:
   (1) First, to a current occupant of another unit, within the same
project or within a comparable project under common control, with a
disability and who requires the accessibility feature of the vacant
unit, but is occupying a unit that does not have those features, or
if no such current occupant exists.
   (2) Second, to an eligible qualified applicant, currently on the
owner's or manager's waiting list, if one exists, with a disability
and who requires the accessibility features of the vacant unit.
   (c) After compliance with subdivision (b), if an accessible unit
is offered by an owner or manager to an applicant who does not have a
disability and who does not require accessibility features of the
unit, the offer shall be made subject to the condition that the
applicant agree to move to a nonaccessible unit if the accessible
unit is needed for a person with a disability.
   (d) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall
adopt regulations to implement this section.