Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act

Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act
California State Legislature
Full nameAn act to amend Sections 65400 and 65585 of, and to add and repeal Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 65912.100) of Division 1 of Title 7 of, the Government Code, relating to housing.
IntroducedFebruary 14, 2022
Assembly votedAugust 29, 2022
Senate votedAugust 29, 2022
Signed into lawSeptember 28, 2022
Sponsor(s)Alvarez (A) , Berman (A) , Mike Fong (A) , Mayes (A) , Nielsen (S) , Quirk (A) , Reyes (A) , Robert Rivas (A) , Blanca Rubio (A)
GovernorGavin Newsom
CodeGovernment Code
BillCalifornia Assembly Bill 2011
Associated billsCalifornia Density Bonus Law, California HOME Act, CEQA, HAA, the ADU law, Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act, SB 6 (2022), AB 2243 (2024)
Websitehttps://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB2011
Status: Current legislation

The Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 (AB 2011) is a California statute which allows for a CEQA-exempt, ministerial, by-right approval for affordable housing on commercially zoned lands, and also allows such approvals for mixed-income housing along commercial corridors, provided that such housing projects satisfy specific criteria of affordability, labor, and environment and pay prevailing wage. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28, 2022, and came into force on July 1, 2023.

Additionally AB 2011 contains a requirement for the use of apprenticeship programs that are approved by local governments. When these contracts are being accepted by contractors they will also be provided with health care expenditures. This being a new and more recent Bill studies will be conducted by the Department of Housing and Community Development which will be used to present to legislature on the effects and results of the additional housing developments.

It is considered as a companion bill to the Middle-Class Housing Act of 2022 (SB 6), which mandates that projects meeting SB 6 criteria (either a 100-percent residential project or a mixed-use project where at least 50 percent of the square footage is dedicated to residential uses) may invoke SB 35 and the Housing Accountability Act. SB 6 projects, unlike AB 2011 projects, are not CEQA-exempt but need not provide any affordable housing. SB 6 was also introduced by Wicks and signed into law by Newsom on the same day as AB 2011.