By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. Anna M. Caballero, D-Merced, has introduced Senate Bill 1091 to create a statewide program aimed at acquiring and preserving existing affordable housing for low-income Californians as the state’s housing crisis deepens.
SB 1091 would establish the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program, known as CAPP, to finance the acquisition of existing housing and preserve it as affordable for low-income residents. The program is designed to prevent displacement and homelessness by stabilizing families in their communities while investing in the long-term supply of affordable homes.
“As California’s affordable housing crisis worsens, unsubsidized affordable housing is disappearing, and fewer low-income families can find stable housing because production simply cannot meet demand. SB 1091 creates a new program to assist with the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing unsubsidized housing and with the conversion of this housing to long-term affordable solutions, to keep families housed and in their communities. I am encouraged by the $500 million allocated in both Senate and Assembly Affordable Housing Bond vehicles to support this new program and look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure the bond makes it to the voters this November. SB 1091 is one important step to avoid displacement, homelessness, and to stabilize families in their communities in homes they can afford,” Caballero said.
According to the senator’s office, $500 million has been allocated in both Senate and Assembly affordable housing bond proposals to support the new program, contingent on voter approval.
Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, said the legislation focuses on preserving existing affordable units before they are lost to market pressures.
“We don’t just need to build more housing; we need to save the affordable homes we already have. CAPP sets up a clear plan to use $500 million in proposed bond funding to buy apartment buildings before they’re flipped and rents are raised,” Haney said. “We’ve already seen this work in San Francisco, where similar programs have helped keep tenants in their homes and protected apartments from being lost to speculation. This is a practical, proven way to prevent displacement and keep families in their homes.”
Jimar Wilson, vice president and market leader of Enterprise Community Partners’ Southern California team, said housing stability is critical for families, workers and seniors across the state.
“All Californians understand how important it is to stabilize longtime residents in the neighborhoods they call home – whether that’s families with children in local schools, the workers who keep our community businesses and public institutions running, or seniors aging close to family and local resources. Here in Southern California, the unprecedented instability of the fires over the last year has underscored this reality,” Wilson said. “We are proud to partner with Senator Caballero to create the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program (CAPP), Senate Bill 1091, which will provide a pathway to stabilize low-income residents while growing the state’s supply of affordable housing. CAPP/SB 1091 builds on successful local programs that are preserving thousands of unsubsidized affordable homes, and we are eager to see this model scale across California.”
Andrés Ramos, legislative counsel at Public Advocates, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the legislation responds to longstanding inequities in housing policy.
“Decades of disinvestment, redlining, and exclusionary policies created this crisis — and the market alone won’t fix it. New data shows that even in cities building at scale, lower-income renters are being left behind and paying more,” Ramos said. “The solution has to start with the people most impacted. That’s exactly why programs like CAPP matter — by financing the acquisition of existing housing and converting it to long-term affordability, CAPP puts state resources directly in the hands of communities to preserve the homes families already live in. This solution means centering community voice, investing in preservation, and ensuring state dollars reach the families that need them — not just the households the market finds profitable.”
Chione Flegal, executive director of Housing California, also a co-sponsor of the bill, said stable housing is central to equity and opportunity.
“Stable housing is foundational to racial equity and intergenerational opportunity,” Flegal said. “For decades, communities of color have experienced widespread housing instability, displacement, and underinvestment. SB 1091 helps reverse that pattern. It preserves the homes families rely on and expands access to new affordable housing. By securing long-term affordability and preventing displacement, this bill ensures that California’s growth serves all of our communities and contributes to a future of shared prosperity.”
Maddie Ribble, co-director of the California Community Land Trust Network, another co-sponsor, said the program would allow community-based nonprofits to take a more active role in preserving affordability.
“CAPP will provide a powerful tool for preserving affordability in our neighborhoods and stabilizing families at risk of losing their housing, particularly in communities of color where displacement is most prevalent,” Ribble said. “CAPP will enable community land trusts and other nonprofits to acquire existing homes and maintain them as affordable in perpetuity. With tens of thousands of families at risk of losing their affordable homes to market speculation and soaring costs in the years ahead, the time to get serious about housing preservation is now!”
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
