(Washington Stand) A state law in California ostensibly meant to make it easier for religious institutions and nonprofit colleges to rezone their property for building low-income housing for the homeless is now being used to potentially confiscate church property, according to legal experts in the Golden State.
The controversy began in October 2023, when California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law a measure that allowed religious institutions and nonprofit colleges to bypass local zoning laws in order to quickly establish affordable housing. The measure was apparently intended to make it easier for local jurisdictions to abide by state regulations that mandate a certain amount of appropriately zoned land in order to accommodate population growth across all economic levels, including extremely low-income individuals like the homeless.