Assemblymember Luz Rivas’ AB 71, a Bill to Establish a Permanent Source of Funding to Combat Homelessness, Clears Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblywoman Luz Rivas’ key measure to combat homelessness, AB 71, cleared its first hurdle today as it passed the Assembly Committee on Revenue & Taxation. AB 71, also known as the “Bring California Home Initiative,” is a historic piece of legislation that would establish the first-ever permanent source of funding for long-term solutions to homelessness in the state.

“I want to thank my colleagues for supporting this critical piece of legislation in the fight to reverse the cycle of homelessness in California,” said Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta). “Now is the time to take big, bold steps in addressing the number one policy issue Californians stress they want the Legislature to take action on. Rural and urban local governments throughout the state need this financial support immediately to prevent this current crisis from becoming a full-blown catastrophe.”

AB 71 conforms our state tax policies to those of the federal government, which will result in up to $1 billion annually in new funding solutions for homelessness. Specifically, the legislation accomplishes this by closing loopholes that allow corporations to shift profits overseas. Accountability and auditing mechanisms are included to ensure that these funds are spent responsibly for homelessness programs.

“Solving homelessness is the moral question of our time,” said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “This bill addresses homelessness in a meaningful and thoughtful way with strong accountability requirements.”

The Bring California Home Initiative will provide resources for government entities and community-based partnerships to invest in strategies proven to keep Californians in their homes, ensure the safety of our unhoused community, and help people exit homelessness faster. The goal is to transform how our state and local governments respond to homelessness and foster greater collaboration among state and local agencies.

“AB 71, the Bring California Home Act, is an important bill to create long term tools to support our unhoused neighbors,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “A 2020 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority analysis found that based on current rates of inflow into homelessness and excluding capital costs to build new units of housing, LA County requires $500 million more every year in on-going funding for services, operating costs, and rental subsidies on top of existing federal, state, and local funding to move the needle on reducing homelessness. Therefore, despite the progress LA County has made to date, without the ongoing State funding commitment provided in AB 71, LA County and other counties throughout the State, will not be able to turn the tide and reverse the growth in homelessness that we are seeing.”

AB 71 is endorsed by over 400 organizations and community leaders throughout the state. Our co-sponsors include Corporation for Supportive Housing, Housing California, City of Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council Member Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, City of Oakland, Mayor Libby Schaaf, All Home, Brilliant Corners, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority,

Episcopal Community Services-San Francisco, HOPICS, John Burton Advocates for Youth, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Non-Profit Housing Assn. of Northern California (NPH), Steinberg Institute, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

“I commend the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee for advancing AB 71,” said Los Angeles City Council Member Mark Ridley-Thomas. “For far too long, we’ve known the status quo has not worked to address homelessness – and circumstances have only worsened due to COVID-19. Thanks to the Bring CA Home Coalition, AB 71 is the blueprint we have long-awaited to institute historic and sustainable changes to meaningfully address homelessness, and move towards establishing a Right to Housing framework statewide. This is the scale of response commensurate with what Californians understand is needed to get ahead of the crisis at hand.”

To find out more about the Bring California Home Coalition and to get involved, visit www.bringcahome.org.

Assemblywoman Luz Rivas proudly represents the 39th Assembly District, which includes the City of Los Angeles communities of Arleta, Lake View Terrace, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, Pacoima, Sun Valley, Sunland-Tujunga, Sylmar, and the City of San Fernando.

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