September 28, 2025

 

The Honorable Gavin Newsom

Governor of the State of California

1021 O Street, Suite 9000: Sacramento, CA 95814

 

Dear Governor Newsom:

​

I am the founder and president of Bay Area Fair Housing and reside in Santa Clara County. I am writing to you today to urge you to sign the bills referenced below. 

 

These bills are crucial to the future of fair housing in the State of California. As housing becomes more and more expensive, home ownership is becoming out of reach for most wage earners. Families are increasingly rent-burdened, paying a substantial portion of their take-home pay just to cover the rent. At the same time, there is an eviction crisis as unrepresented tenants deal with the unlawful detainer process that they don’t understand and have the ability to defend. 

 

Accordingly, we are involved in various initiatives to promote fair housing laws in the Bay Area and across the State. We must permit more housing to be built to increase the housing stock and address communities that are hostile to increasing their housing densities. We must ensure that the practices of well-resourced landlords with lawyers at their disposal don’t force people out of their homes without a fair chance. Accordingly, we must pass these bills in order to solidify and build upon California’s commitment to the fair treatment of everyone within our great State.

 

We urge you to sign the following bills to protect tenants:

AB 414, Residential tenancies: return of security.

AB 246, Social Security Tenant Protection Act of 2025.

AB 628, Hiring of real property: dwellings: untenantability.

AB 747 Service of Process Accountability, Reform and Equity (SPARE) Act.

AB 863, Residential rental properties: language requirements.

AB 1414, Landlord-tenant: internet service provider subscriptions.

SB 477, California Fair Employment and Housing Act: enforcement procedures.

 

We urge you to sign the following bills to maintain or increase the housing stock:

AB 893, Housing development projects: objective standards: campus development zone.

AB 1050, Unlawfully restrictive covenants: housing developments.

AB 1061  Housing developments: urban lot splits: historical resources.

SB 21, Single-room occupancy units: demolition and replacement: housing assistance programs: eligibility for homeless individuals and families. 

SB 79, Wiener. Housing development: transit-oriented development. 

SB 262, Housing element: prohousing designations: prohousing local policies.

 

We realize that this is a long list for which we are advocating, but that is a testament to the legislators of our State who are prioritizing fair and accessible housing. Also, there are many other worthy bills that have been enrolled, such as covering disasters and emergencies, and we support those as well (SB 36, SB 610, AB 299).

 

Thank you for considering our input on these important pieces of legislation. We look forward to your signature on these bills to enact them into law. I have copied your Chief of Staff because I would like to know if there will be a signing event that I could come to Sacramento to attend.

 

Sincerely,​​​

​​

Vanessa Lahner

President and Founder

Bay Area Fair Housing​

​