Special to the Vanguard
SACRAMENTO – Major building trades unions released a letter Tuesday removing their opposition to SB 423, Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) legislation to extend SB 35 (2017), one of the state’s most successful tools for accelerating development of affordable housing. In recent months, the landmark legislation has rallied a growing chorus of union support, including from construction unions within the State Building and Construction Trades Council. With this announcement, which comes after a range of stakeholders agreed to amend the bill in the Senate and refine certain labor provisions in the Assembly, the bill has strong momentum as it enters its second house.
The announcement includes the California State Association of Electrical Workers (California’s division of IBEW), California State Pipe Trades Council, Coalition of California Utility Employees, Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers and the International Union of Elevator Constructors Locals 8 and 18. The letter announcing 
their change of position is attached.
“I’m proud of the massive coalition we’ve assembled behind SB 423, including major labor unions, business associations, environmental organizations, and housing advocates,” said Senator Wiener. “California needs to build millions of new homes, and SB 423 is an important tool to help make that happen. Today’s announcement that several major trades unions are withdrawing their opposition to SB 423 is a major step forward for the bill.”
SB 35’s streamlined approvals have proved to be enormously successful at increasing affordable housing production in communities failing to keep pace with their housing goals—helping develop over 13,000 units of affordable housing and tens of thousands of high-wage jobs in the four years after it went into effect.
With the law sunsetting at the end of 2025, Sen. Wiener’s new bill, SB 423, would extend its provisions—and add strong new labor standards signed into law last year by Governor Newsom that will ensure it continues to produce both affordable housing and stable, high-wage jobs for California workers. The bill has drawn support from a wide range of construction unions, including the California Conference of Carpenters, the District Council of Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ of Northern California, Northern California District Council of Laborers, the Southern California District Council of Laborers, and the California-Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers. Together, these unions represent the majority of union construction workers in California.
SB 423 is sponsored by the California Housing Consortium, California Conference of Carpenters, the Inner City Law Center, the Local Initiative Support Corporation, and California YIMBY.
