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Governor signs bill that allows creation of Orange County trust to help house homeless people

by in News

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday, Sept. 11, signed into law a bill that will allow Orange County and its 34 cities to form the Orange County Housing Finance Trust and jointly compete for state and federal funds to help house the local homeless population.

The legislation, known as Assembly Bill 448, had enjoyed bipartisan support from Orange County’s delegation in the state legislature, among county and city elected officials, and in the private sector. County supervisor Michelle Steel was a notable exception.

AB 448 was introduced by  Assemblyman Tom Daly (D-Anaheim) and Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), with Republican co-authors in the state Senate: Pat Bates of Laguna Niguel, John Moorlach of Costa Mesa and Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove.

“This legislation is a product of teamwork, and refreshing cooperation in Orange County,” Quirk-Silva said.

The bill, which goes into effect Jan. 1, does not grant the joint powers authority to be formed any land-use powers, the means to own or operate housing, or the ability to dictate to local jurisdictions where to build. It does call for an annual audit.

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