Assembly Housing Committee advances a package of housing measures; bond, CEQA streamlining, factory-built housing and EV rules debated

The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard eight hours of testimony and moved several housing bills to the Assembly Appropriations Committee after public and expert testimony Thursday in Room 126 at the State Capitol.

Assemblymember Colosa opened the hearing with AB 17 25, a measure aimed at requiring consistent statewide disclosure of oil wells and functioning methane monitors near schools, hospitals, parks and residences. Nicholas Gardner of Sunrise Movement Los Angeles testified for the bill, saying, “My name is Nicholas Gardner, and I'm a senior organizer and the chair emeritus of the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles,” and describing conditions in Vista Hermosa Heights, where residents report methane alarms and oil odors. Supporters cited testimony that “66% of active and idle wells leak methane,” and urged the committee to adopt the bill’s monitoring and disclosure standards to protect low-income and frontline communities.

Opponents from industry groups — including Deborah Carlton of the California Apartment Association — urged additional work with the author, saying the measure did not fix the underlying responsibility for capping orphaned wells and that state action to cap abandoned wells should be a priority. The committee did not take a final floor vote on AB 17 25 at the hearing; the author accepted committee amendments and asked to move forward when quorum allowed.

The committee also considered AB 17 32, which would extend CEQA streamlining to public university housing projects (University of California, CSU and…