FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2023
Senate Governance and Finance Committee
April 12th - 9:30 am
1021 O Street, Room 1200
SB 684 Testimony – California Community Builders
CONTACT: Adam Briones, California Community Builders CEO, 510.961.3957, abriones@ccbuilders.org
Good morning, Chair Caballero and Members of the Committee.
My name is Adam Briones and I am CEO of California Community Builders, a nonprofit working to close the racial wealth gap, focusing on housing and homeownership. As an organization led by and serving people of color, I am here today as a proud co-sponsor of SB 684.
California faces a housing affordability crisis that has slammed the door shut on homeownership for millions. This essential legislation will produce more homes that are lower cost and more accessible to first-time homebuyers by enabling production of single-family homes or townhomes on lots that are smaller and less expensive.
California’s median lot size is 8,300 square feet, and research has found that land costs make up more than half the price of a home in places like Los Angeles, San Diego, Salinas, San Jose, and San Francisco. The math driving SB 684 is simple: A home that that comes with less land will cost less.
Many families want – and can afford – a large home with a large backyard. These families have plenty of options in today’s market. But too many can’t buy a home at all because affordable options don’t exist. Many families – and, I would argue, many more families of color -- would love to buy a home with less land if that made the American Dream of homeownership possible for them. SB 684 does just that, making these types of homes much more common, creating increased choice for diverse families.
My organization is deeply invested in this topic because, while homeownership is the way in which most Americans build intergenerational wealth, only 4 in 10 Black and Latino Californians own their own home, compared to 6 in 10 white Californians. That’s one of the main reasons why for every dollar of wealth held by a white family, Black and Latino families have about 16 cents. We can do better.
Homeownership is a broadly shared value in California. SB 684 represents one important step in creating the important, admittedly technical steps needed to actually produce lower-cost for-sale housing and making that shared value a reality.
There are no silver bullets when it comes to addressing California’s housing and homeownership crisis, but SB 684 creates an important tool for building affordable homes and building wealth for everyday Californians.
Thank you for your consideration of this important measure and we/I respectfully request your aye vote.
###
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY BUILDERS
Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Housing & Homeownership