State Sen. Aisha Wahab outlines housing, affordability and immigrant support in Newark update

State Sen. Aisha Wahab, who represents Newark’s area in the state Legislature, told the Newark City Council on Oct. 23 that statewide legislation adopted this year put new money and protections toward housing affordability, renter relief and immigrant legal aid.

“Housing is a very important issue for almost every single person,” Sen. Wahab said, noting the state budget absorbed an affordability package she sponsored. “We put in $300,000,000 available to California residents who are first time homebuyers.”

Wahab described several pieces of the package. The first‑time‑buyer support is structured to provide down‑payment assistance whose funds would be recycled: the state would recoup and re‑issue the money to the next qualifying buyer, she said. She also outlined measures to encourage development of affordable housing, including continued use of Low‑Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and renewed emphasis on the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding stream, which she said the Legislature restored roughly $500 million to after an earlier reduction.

She highlighted SB 681 as a broad affordability bill that, she said, includes a range of protections for borrowers and renters. Among the statutory protections she described were new limits on so‑called “zombie mortgages” and caps on certain homeowners’ association fines; Wahab described a case reported by national outlets in which a homeowner faced large fines for a minor interior issue and said the law caps non‑health‑and‑safety fines at $100 and provides homeowners more time to resolve a complaint.

Wahab said the Legislature also expanded renter tax credits and prioritized affordable use of school land sales. She said the package included other measures: capping insulin co‑pays at $35 per month statewide; removing a spousal‑exemption that had remained in statute; and an array of bills addressing seniors, women and foster‑care youth.

The senator also discussed district‑level investments her office helped secure. She said she worked with the mayor and city staff to steer funds to local projects including $1 million for Ash Street Park improvements and support for the Newark Resource Center and other infrastructure and social‑service projects.

On immigration and community support, Wahab described state funding for children’s holistic immigration representation and other assistance: “We put in $10,000,000 for the children's holistic immigration representation project,” she said, to ensure detained or unaccompanied children have legal and social‑service support.

Mayor Michael Hannon thanked Wahab for the district advocacy and credited the senator for responding quickly when the city identified a near‑term funding opportunity. The council accepted a ceremonial check Wahab presented during the visit.

Why this matters: Council members said the combination of state program design and near‑term capital funding gives Newark additional tools to address housing, homelessness and public‑safety concerns. The presentation outlined concrete local investments that staff and the senator said will proceed with follow‑up work between the city and her office.

Speakers quoted above are from the council meeting transcript. Council members and staff said they will follow up on several funding and implementation details with the senator’s office and city departments.