Policy Advocacy
Why We Advocate
Our policy work is aimed at influencing and utilizing public policy to reduce barriers to and support the growth of CLT and Co-op developments — for BACLT, our Bay Area partner organizations, and the movement as a whole. We want to build a wider understanding and support of the CLT-Co-op model among policy makers at the local, regional and state levels and ensure that the model is integrated into affordable housing legislation and funding programs at the local, regional and state levels.
Current Policy Work
BACLT actively participates in advocacy for local, regional, and statewide policies by:
Collaborating with partners like: California Community Land Trust Network Policy Committee, Berkeley TOPA working group, the People’s Land and Housing Alliance, and East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO)
Advocating for priority policies through endorsements, support letters and meetings with policy makers; and
Mobilizing BACLT's membership base to take action in support of local and regional policy as needed.
Policies We Currently Support in 2025
Berkeley’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) would give tenants, or nonprofits like CLTs, a fair chance to purchase multifamily rental properties before they go for sale on the market. On September 30, 2024, the Berkeley City Council voted against TOPA opting instead to explore a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) similar to San Francisco’s policy. We continue to organize with the Berkeley TOPA coalition to advocate for tenant ownership and community-controlled housing in Berkeley.
State Policies
Foreclosure Intervention Housing Preservation Program (FIHPP)
AB 1837 (Homes in Community Hands Act)
AB 1333 (Ward): would prohibit the bulk sale of newly constructed single family homes to institutional investors, with 1000 or more units in their portfolio. Fact Sheet.
AB 2584 (Lee),: Prohibits a business entity that has an interest in more than 1,000 single-family residential properties from purchasing/ acquiring, or leasing a single-family home
SB 1212 (Skinner): prohibits investment entities (including hedge funds and large corporate investors) from purchasing, acquiring, or leasing an interest in single family homes. Exempts nonprofit organizations and other entities primarily engaged in the construction or rehabilitation of housing from the definition of “investment entity.” Fact sheet.
Past Policies
Bay Area Regional Housing Bond (2024) would generate up to $20 million for affordable housing in the nine-county Bay Area.
Proposition 5 In partnership with local organizations, BACLT co-hosted informational sessions. Proposition 5 would have empowered local voters to better address the affordable housing needs of our communities by lowering the voting threshold from 67% to 55% for passing local infrastructure and housing bonds. This change would help facilitate the creation of more affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents.
Berkeley's November 2022 Ballot Measures: we endorsed Measures L (Affordable Housing Bond), M (Vacancy Tax), and N (Affordable Housing Policy), and mobilized membership to take action. Measures M and N were approved.