(a) Notwithstanding any other law, including subdivision (b) of Section 50675.1, funds appropriated in the 2020 Budget Act or an act related to the 2020 Budget Act, including, but not limited to, moneys received from the Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136), to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness, as defined in Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulation, and who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, shall be disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program, including as grants to cities, counties, and other local public entities, as necessary, created by this chapter for the following uses, consistent with applicable federal law and guidance:

(1) Acquisition or rehabilitation of motels, hotels, or hostels.

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(2) Master leasing of properties.

(3) Acquisition of other sites and assets, including purchase of apartments or homes, adult residential facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, manufactured housing, and other buildings with existing residential uses that could be converted to permanent or interim housing.

(4) Conversion of units from nonresidential to residential in a structure with a certificate of occupancy as a motel, hotel, or hostel.

(5) The purchase of affordability covenants and restrictions for units.

(6) Relocation costs for individuals who are being displaced as a result of rehabilitation of existing units.

(7) Capitalized operating subsidies for units purchased, converted, or altered with funds provided by this section.

(b) Where possible, the funds described in subdivision (a) shall be allocated by the department in a manner that takes into consideration all of the following:

(1) Need geographically across the state.

(2) Areas with high unsheltered populations and high COVID-19 infection rates.

(3) The demonstrated ability of the applicant to fund ongoing operating reserves.

(4) The creation of new permanent housing options.

(5) The potential for state funding for capitalized operating reserves to make additional housing units financially viable through this program.

(c) Any conflict between the other requirements of the Multifamily Housing Program created by this chapter and this section shall be resolved in favor of this section, as may be set forth in the guidelines authorized by this section.

(d) The Department of Housing and Community Development may adopt guidelines for the expenditure of the funds appropriated to the department. The guidelines shall not be subject to the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(e) Up to 2 percent of the funds appropriated for this section may be expended for the costs to administer this program.

(f) On or before April 1, 2021, the Department of Housing and Community Development, in coordination with the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, shall report to the chairs of each fiscal committee and each relevant policy committee of the Legislature on the use of the funds described in this section. The report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) The amount of funds expended for the uses described in this section.

(2) The location of any properties for which the funds are used.

(3) The number of useable housing units produced, or planned to be produced, using the funds.

(4) The number of individuals housed, or likely to be housed, using the funds.

(5) The number of units, and the location of those units, for which operating subsidies have been, or are planned to be, capitalized using the funds.

(6) An explanation of how funding decisions were made for acquisition, conversion, or rehabilitation projects, or for capitalized operating subsidies, including what metrics were considered in making those decisions.

(7) Any lessons learned from the use of the funds.

(g) Any project that uses funds received from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for any of the purposes specified in subdivision (a) shall be deemed consistent and in conformity with any applicable local plan, standard, or requirement, and allowed as a permitted use, within the zone in which the structure is located, and shall not be subject to a conditional use permit, discretionary permit, or to any other discretionary reviews or approvals.

(h) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (f) shall be submitted in compliance with § 9795 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 15, Sec. 21. (AB 83) Effective June 29, 2020.)