Newsom signs bills to boost homebuilding, announces "Homekey+" to address housing crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new action to address homelessness and expand affordable housing Thursday morning as he signed multiple pieces of legislation in San Francisco's Mission District.

Newsom talked about the new statewide efforts on affordable housing and mental health as he was flanked by state and local leaders, along with construction workers at the La Fenix affordable housing development being built on Mission Street.

"This Legislature in the last four, five, six years, has done more arguably, than the last four, five, legislatures have done in the last 30, 40 or 50 years to address this crisis," Newsom said.

Among the legislation signed by Newsom Thursday included Assembly Bill 1893 by Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and Senate Bill 1037 by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which are aimed at boosting homebuilding and penalizing jurisdictions that violate state housing laws.

"We continue to struggle with accountability. We continue to struggle with transparency," Newsom said. "For those who turn their back on this crisis, we're turning up the heat."

In his remarks, the governor criticized the city of Huntington Beach in Orange County, which the state previously sued for violating the state's housing element law , which requires local governments to plan for the housing needs of residents of all income levels.

"They continue to lose decision after decision after decision. They abuse the process, they abuse the law, and now we will enforce aggressive fines," Newsom said of Huntington Beach. "Enough is enough."

Newsom also announced the Homekey+ program , which will offer up to $2.2 billion in funding to build permanent supportive housing for veterans, as well as those experiencing mental health or substance use disorders. The program builds upon the California's Homekey model that was used to acquire existing buildings to convert into affordable housing.

Funding for the program will be provided by Proposition 1, a measure narrowly approved by voters in March that would issue $6.4 billion in bonds to tackle homelessness and mental health.

Newsom said the money will help create more than 4,000 new supportive housing units that will offer shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness, with much of the housing reserved for veterans.

The moves follow Newsom's July executive order to remove homeless encampments in California , following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.