Healthy Housing Updates
September 2016
Governor Signs Healthy Housing Bill
AB 2362, by Assemblymember Kansen Chu, was just signed by Governor Brown! Co-sponsored by CHHC members California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO) and Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) and CHHC partner, Center for California Homeowner Association Law, AB 2362 is a follow up to last year’s bill that requires landlords to provide tenants notification before self-applying pesticides. AB 2362 applies the same notification requirements in the context of homeowner associations (condominiums and townhomes) and builds on our work to encourage the use of integreated pest management practices. Click here for a fact sheet (including a list of supporters).
Please join CHHC members in thanking Assemblymember Chu and Governor Brown for taking another step towards making housing healthier. You can thank the Assemblymember here or by e-mailing
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. You can thank Governor Brown here.
June 2016
CHHC Members Recognized for Innovations in Healthy Housing Policy
On behalf of CHHC, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) was awarded the HUD Secretary's Award for Healthy Homes for Innovations and Acheivement in Public Policy. The award honors our track record in state policy solutions to local housing challenges, including:
- Making California the first state in the nation to add visible mold as an enforceable substandard housing condition.
- Providing all jurisdictions in the state with the authority to require landlords to address pest infestations.
- Requiring those cited for a pest infestation to also address any underlying substandard housing condition that contributes to the infestation.
- Ensuring tenants are provided notificatoin about pesticide use by landlords.
CHHC members could not have accomplished these policy wins without strong partners, including California State Senators Ben Hueso and Holly Mitchell, who championed these issues in the legislature. RAMP and CHHC are also grateful to the Kresge Foundation for supporting our healthy housing efforts since 2011.
A big congratulations to all our members!
January 2016
CHHC Webinar:
California's New Mold Law: A Training for Enforcement Officers
On January 26th, CHHC hosted a webinar for code enforcement and health officers focused on outlining California's mold law and strategies for implementation. You can view a recording of the webinar here.
Presenters include:
- Leonard Powell, Code Enforcement Manager, City of Freemont and Regional Director for the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers. Mr. Powell outlines the requirements of the new law and discusses strategies for enforcement.
- Craig Wong, Environmental Health Specialist for the City of Long Beach. Mr. Wong provides some background on indoor mold and walks through the procedures Long Beach has developed over the last two decades of mold enforcement, including identification and documentation of mold problems and verification of remediation.
CHHC 2016 Annual Meeting A Success!
Thanks to everyone that participated in this year's CHHC Annual Meeting in Sacramento (February 22-23). We had informative presentations on Day One of the meeting on:
- Climate Change and Healthy Housing
- Oportunities to Reduce Lead Poisoning
- The Use of Reasonable Accomodations for Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
We also heard updates on state housing policy, had productive workgroup discussions on implementing ideas from the presentations in our individual work, and discussed the coalition’s agenda and priorities for 2016.
Day two gave participants the opportunity to attend a half-day training on California's new mold law and/or to visit the Capitol to discuss local healthy housing issues with their elected officials.
Finally, we awarded our first ever Healthy Housing Champion Awards to Senators Ben Hueso and Holly Mitchell for their leadership on advancing healthy hosuing policies and committment to ensuring Californians have safe and healthy places to live.
With the most current information and tools to connect with policymakers, the coalition looks forward to another successful year of moving the state toward healthier housing. We congratulate our members for another successful year!
Priorities
CHHC members address healthy housing from multiple perspectives. As a result, the coalition’s priorities represent a comprehensive approach towards achieving healthy housing for all. CHHC organizes itself into three workgroups focused on the following priorities:
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Code Enforcement – addressing substandard housing conditions, including pest infestations and mold, through modifications to code and improvements to code enforcement practice
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Green, Healthy, and Affordable Housing – ensuring that green building is both healthy and accessible at all income levels
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Healthy Housing Indicators – creating evidence-based criteria for healthy housing
Mission
The mission of CHHC is to provide leadership to promote healthy, safe, energy efficient, and affordable housing for all residents in California. The coalition’s diverse membership, including housing rights and social justice organizations, public health advocates, local, state, and federal government agencies, and other experts on housing, indoor air quality, and health, comes together to provide resources, expertise, and advocacy for statewide policies to promote and protect healthy housing, with particular attention on low income communities and communities of color.
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