Cal. Government Code - GOV § 64500. Section 64500.
This title shall be known, and may be cited, as the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Housing Finance Act.
CHAPTER 1. General Provisions [64500. - 64503.]
Cal. Government Code - GOV 1.
in effectCal. Government Code - GOV § 64501. Section 64501.
The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a)
The San Francisco Bay area is facing the most significant housing crisis in the region’s history, as countless residents are facing insurmountable housing costs, spend hours driving every day, are one paycheck away from an eviction, or experience homelessness.
(b)
The San Francisco Bay area faces this crisis because, as a region, it has failed to produce enough housing at all income levels,
preserve affordable housing, protect existing residents from displacement, provide adequate housing at all income levels in close proximity to jobs, and address the housing issue regionally.
(c)
The housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay area is regional in nature and too great to be addressed individually by the region’s 101 cities and 9 counties.
(d)
However, the current process is anything but regional; instead each city and county is each responsible for their own decisions around housing.
(e)
The San Francisco Bay area faces an annual funding shortfall of two billion five hundred million dollars ($2,500,000,000) in its efforts
to address the affordable housing crisis.
(f)
Regional funding is necessary to help address the housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay area by reducing the severe imbalance between jobs and housing and delivering resources and technical assistance at a regional scale, including:
(1)
Providing critically needed funding to affordable housing projects across the San Francisco Bay area.
(2)
Providing staff support to local jurisdictions that require capacity or technical assistance to expedite the preservation and production of housing.
(3)
Funding tenant services, such as emergency
rental assistance and access to counsel, thereby complementing this cost and responsibility of local jurisdictions.
(4)
Monitoring and reporting on progress at a regional scale.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 64502. Section 64502.
For purposes of this title:
(a)
“Affordable housing” is defined as housing that is restricted by recorded document to provide the housing at an affordable housing cost, as defined in Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, or an affordable rent, as defined in Section 50053 of the Health and Safety Code, as applicable.
(b)
“Authority” means the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority established pursuant to Section 64510.
(c)
“Board” means the governing board of the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority.
(d)
“Executive board” means the executive board of the Association of Bay Area Governments.
(e)
“Extremely low income households” has the same meaning as the term is defined in Section 50106 of the Health and Safety Code.
(f)
“Lower income households” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(g)
“Low- or moderate-income households” has the same meaning as “persons and families of low or moderate income,” as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.
(h)
“San Francisco Bay area” means the entire area within the territorial boundaries of the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma, and the City and County of San Francisco.
(i)
“Very low income households” has the same
meaning as the term is defined in Section 50105 of the Health and Safety Code.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 64503. Section 64503.
The Legislature finds and declares that providing a regional financing mechanism for affordable housing production, preservation, and tenant protections in the San Francisco Bay area, as described in this section and Section 64501, is a matter of statewide concern and is not a municipal affair as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution. Therefore, this title applies to all cities within the San Francisco Bay area, including charter cities.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026